Harry Potter and the Wand of Shenlon
by Darqstar
Summary: This is a crossover of Harry Potter and Dragonball Z and my take on 4th year at Hogwarts. What happens when Harry goes to Hogwarts with two new students, one who seems determined to kill the other? R/R would be nice, thanks.
1. Leaving It All Behind

**Disclaimer: JK Rowlings and various companies own some of these characters. Some belong to Akira Toriyama and various companies. How do you tell the difference? Well, if they have unusual hair, big appetites, and a lot of physical strength, chances are they're Akira Toriyama's. If they are magical, or extraordinarily mean to magical folks (think Dursleys) they are JK Rowlings. The only characters in this story that are mine are hardly worth mentioning, cause they don't really have an important role. So, you can't really accuse me of sticking a Mary Sue into the story now, can you? **

The nitty gritty? Okay. Harry Potter is owned by JK Rowlings and various others such as (but not limited to) Scholastic Books and Warner Brothers. DragonBall and DragonBall Z was created by Akira Toriyama and is owned by same, as well as Bird Studio, Toei Animation, and Funimation now has their fingers in that pie too. As well as, I'm sure, a few others. 

Very Special Thanks go to my original beta readers (and artists as it turns out. Yes, I have had tremendous luck picking beta readers, haven't I?) Indigo, who started me on this whole road by creating the idea with me and helping me to run with it. She has been a saint about this, going far above and beyond the call of duty to hold my hand while I whined pitifully and annoyingly about my lack of inspiration and other things. And to Sabrebabe, who fed my addiction to DBZ and Vegeta quite nicely and wrote stuff about how she liked it. And, special thanks goes to someone else and he knows who he is. Also, to my husband Todd who gave me some great ideas and also knew when to nod and go, "Uh huh" when I was babbling. 

_Also, HP fans, take note. The prologue is pretty much DBZ based, though you don't have to be a DBZ fan to read it, it will just make it clearer if you are. However, the rest of the story takes place pretty much in the Harry Potter Universe.) _

* * *

They say that someone's entire destiny can be changed by the simplest of acts. The decision to walk to school or work a different route could end up with someone meeting someone who they might never have met otherwise. 

Sometimes, a simple decision can change the lives of many, in ways they never dreamed possible in one way, but in another way, the way they come to know as their lives; it seems normal. After all, they never knew what could have or would have happened if this...decision that changed everything never happened. 

This is the story of such a change: How a seemingly simple act, brought about a change in two worlds that were never meant to come together, but did. None of the folks involved ever realized their futures together were never meant to happen. Because they _did_ happen, at least in this tale. 

Readers, you are most likely familiar with some of the characters in this story. But I ask you to put aside a lot of what you know and let the story unfold before you. This is a completely different world now, and while some things may seem to be familiar, others may seem quite different. So just relax, read, and involve yourself in the events that unfold. 

  


**_Harry Potter And The Wand Of Shenlon_**   
By Darqstar (thedarqstar@wmconnect.com)

_Prologue_

It wasn't cold on the planet, but the boy was still shivering. He pulled his cloak tight around his shoulders. _It must be cold_, he thought, lying to himself. _That's the only reason why I would be shivering. That is the only excuse I will find acceptable._

The planet was quiet. In fact, some would even say it was deadly quiet. It had been such a noisy planet...before. 

The boy looked past the small clearing he was sitting in. The stares of the dead waited beyond the small space he had claimed as his own to have something to eat before he returned back to his home planet. He stared into the open eyes of the former final survivor of this planet. _You were brave,_ he thought. _You rushed me, even though you knew it was suicide. You already knew my power, but you made one final attempt to avenge your people. Yes, you were brave; it's too bad you were also stupid. _

The dead man said nothing; they never did. There were some who believed that the dead could speak, send one final message before they passed on to whatever future awaited them, but the boy never believed that. Dead was dead. 

_Which means,_ the boy thought. _That I'll never hear from father again._

He shivered again. _There must be a breeze._ He ignored the fact that nothing around him moved or gave any indication of any sort of wind. His fingers clutched at his cape, pulling it around his shoulders. 

_I should leave this place and return to Lord Freeza._ He knew Freeza would take care of him. Freeza had been taking care of his planet and his people for a long time. It wasn't Freeza's fault that a passing asteroid had destroyed his planet, and almost wiped out the boy's entire race. Only a handful of them remained. Only those who were off planet at the time. If Freeza had known, he would have stopped it. After all, the Saiya-jin were the best planet acquisitionists he had. 

_And... maybe we were a little **too** good._

He almost looked around, before he realized that the voice, even though it was unfamiliar, came from inside his own head. He closed his eyes for a brief second, trying to blot it out. He didn't want to be having these thoughts. 

If anything, closing his eyes, made the voice stronger. _You know the truth,_ it told him. _Deep inside, you know the truth and you should face it._

He opened his eyes and let another voice fill his head, the voice that said the things he wanted to hear. _No, that's not true. Freeza was sorry the planet was destroyed. He sent his condolences to me. Freeza doesn't change for anyone. He wouldn't be sorry if he were the one. He wouldn't lie either. He has no need to lie. And why would I be spared?_

Yes, these thoughts were better. All he had to do was not close his eyes and that other voice wouldn't come. 

_Yes, it will. _

Great, now the first voice seemed to have found its way even with his eyes open. _Fine,_ he thought, with the second thoughtvoice. _Thoughts have never hurt anyone and if these thoughts of mine must have their chance to speak in my head, then so be it._

_You know the truth_, The first thoughtvoice continued. _You know it. A passing meteor did not destroy your planet; Freeza destroyed it. Because the Saiya-jin race was proving it could be a true threat to Freeza. _

_Well then,_ thoughtvoice two countered. _Why was_ I_ spared?_

_Because Freeza happens to like you. Not for you, but for the power within. The greatest warriors of the Saiya-jin race are your ascendants. The best of the entire race lies within you. To Freeza, you're an interesting little pet. A nice, strong, trained monkey. Nothing more._

He closed his eyes, which momentarily burned beneath the lids. He couldn't fool himself. Both voices were part of him. And the one he wanted to hear the least was probably right. He may have been young, but he wasn't stupid. He had suspected for a long time that Freeza, who outwardly acted pleased with the Saiya-jin, inwardly was worried by them. They were becoming too powerful too fast. If they all banded together, they could overthrow him. 

If one Saiya-jin, one who was able to become the legendary Super Saiya-jin, decided to, they could destroy him. 

Another "breeze" shot through him, making him shiver again. He was the one most likely to achieve that status. After all, it was his family line that produced the first one. Supreme Elite. And he was the strongest Supreme Elite the Saiya-jin race had seen in a long time. If anyone would finally break the barrier that his ancestor had broken, all those many years ago, it would be him. 

He knew now what the plan would be. Unless he was totally subservient to Lord Freeza, if he ever showed signs of achieving this honor, he would be destroyed. Freeza was hoping he'd be able to keep Vegeta, "under his control." 

"No one controls me," he growled, unaware that he had spoken out loud. Not that it mattered. There wasn't anyone here to complain he was disturbing the serenity. "Someday, I will return to Lord Freeza, but that will be on _my _terms." 

He left his clearing, using energy blasts and old-fashioned kicks to move aside the bodies, till he came to his ship. He studied it carefully. 

He wasn't an engineer, but one couldn't be The Prince of All Saiya-jin without picking up a bit of knowledge along the way. He opened the ship and found the control panel. 

Two and a half hours later, a little more time than he would have liked, he was done, or at least as done as he could be. He sat down in the only seat the ship contained. Its spherical design was strictly for one person only. "Computer!" 

"Y-y-yes?" The computer voice was different now. He wasn't surprised; he had done a half-assed job on a lot of his "modifications." The stammering was a sign of this, not a true show of fear or respect. 

"Are we totally disconnected from Freeza's main systems?" 

A brief hesitation, the lights on the control panel flickered as the computer attempted a slow diagnostic. Then, finally it spoke, "Y-y-y-yes. Y-y-you are c-c-c-omp-p-p-p-p-p-p-p-p-p-" 

He kicked the control panel, sharply, but not too hard. If he gave it everything he had, he would disintegrate the unit. That wasn't quite in his plans. "Stop it!" 

"Thank you." For a moment he almost would have sworn the computer was grateful, not just generating the "appropriate response." "As I was s-saying, you are c-c-comp-p-letely shut off from all of L-l-l-l-ord F-f-f-f-reeza's s-systems." 

He nodded. "Well then, from now on, you listen to me." 

"O-o-of course," the computer agreed. 

He smiled despite himself. This little problem with the computer's speech center made it sound much like Napa when he, The Prince, was pissed off. He rather liked that. "Fine," he said. "We're leaving." 

"O-of course," the computer agreed. "W-where a-a-re we g-going?" 

"As far away from Freeza as I can possibly get," Vegeta muttered. 

"Th-that w-w-would b-b-be the Z-z-z-zonize qu-quadrent, wh-wh-ich-" 

"It's just a figure of speech!" Vegeta growled, louder than he intended. "There are other places we can go to that will serve my purpose just as well." 

"W-w-well y-you d-don't h-h-have to y-y-yell about I-it. H-how w-was I t-to know?" 

The computer actually sounded hurt. _I must have really done some major damage_, Vegeta thought. "Never mind," he snapped. 

"E-e-easy f-for y-you t-t-to say." The computer voice sounded sulky now. "Y-you c-c-could s-s-say y-you're s-s-s-sorry. B-b-but I s-s-suppose that would b-b-be t-t-to m-m-much t-to ask of-of y-you th-th-the al-almighty P-p-p-p-p-prince of a-a-a-" 

"Will you shut _up_?" Vegeta roared. _As soon as I figure out where I'm going, and get there, I am going to reprogram this ship with a huge energy blast!_ His foot shot out and he gave the control panel a terrific kick. 

Whether the computer could read his mind, didn't like being told to shut up, or felt threatened by the kick, Vegeta would never know for sure. He did know that after the outburst, the computer got silent, which was just fine by him. He needed to think. 

_Only a handful of survivors_, he pondered. _Nappa, would be with Freeza, of course. Nappa was waiting on Freeza's ship for Vegeta to return._ He remembered Bardock's son, Raditz was on a mission when this happened, so he would probably have survived. _Maybe a couple others, but all of them would be working for Freeza. So, I can't depend on them._

As distasteful as he found it to do so, he spoke to the computer again. "Computer, do you still have in your data, any of the Saiya-jins that were sent off planet before the destruction?" 

There was a long pause. "T-there was only o-one," the computer finally answered. 

He knew that wasn't true. The damage he did when modified the computer must have erased a lot of the information. But, it was too late to change that. "Fine. Who was it?" 

A hesitation. Vegeta half expected it to demand he say, "please." If that was the case, he might be stranded on this planet forever, with nothing but the dead for company, cause he would blow up the stupid pod before he said, "please" to a computer. Or, for that matter, please to just about anyone or anything. He crossed his arms over his chest and scowled. 

Finally, the computer spoke. "K-k-k-kakkarroto, y-youngest s-s-s-son of B-b-b-b-bardock was s-sent be-be-be-before the duh-duh-duh-duh-destruction." 

"Where was he sent?" 

"E-earth?" 

"Earth?" He rolled the unfamiliar name over his tongue and nodded. "Then that's where we're going." 

Hesitation, then, "Th-th-there is a s-s-s-m-m-mall p-problem-m-m." 

"Oh? And what is that?" He fought against blowing up the computer. He was tired of this, he just wanted to get on with it. 

"Wh-wh-when y-you m-m-m-m-messed w-with m-m-my p-p-p-rog-graming, y-you d-d-d-damaged the-the-the w-w-warp d-d-d-drives." 

"Are you saying you're unable to travel?" _Oh, wouldn't that be Just Swell? _

"N-n-no," the computer said, "B-b-but s-s-s-peed will-will b-be a p-p-p-p-rob-b-b-lem. E-e-earth is f-f-f-f-far aw-aw-aw-away." 

He frowned. "Okay. Given the damage done to the warp drives, will we be able to reach earth at all?" 

"I-I-it's p-p-p-p-p-p-p-p-p-" 

He kicked the control panel one more time, feeling a bit frustrated that he had to hold back his strength. He would have loved to put his foot right through it. 

"Thank-you," the computer said, its synthesized voice doing a darned fine imitation of gratitude. Vegeta rather liked that. _It's too bad there aren't more people who would be grateful when you give them a good, swift, kick._ "As I was s-saying," the computer continued. "It's p-possible, b-but it-it will t-take a-awhile. Th-the p-p-problem w-will b-b-be l-life s-support." 

He nodded, even though the computer really couldn't 'see' him do it. "Do you know any way around it?" 

"I h-have e-enough p-power t-to t-take you t-to e-earth, b-but it w-would b-b-b-be b-b-best if you w-were p-p-put in c-c-cryogenic f-f-freeze. Th-then th-the d-drain on th-th-the l-life support s-system w-would b-b-be m-m-minimal." 

"Can I trust you to navigate us both to this- Earth when I'm in cryogenic? I won't be able to be of any help to you." Hardly aware he was doing it, he reached out and kicked the control panel again. 

"Th-thanks." The computer responded. "Y-you d-d-did a lot of d-damage t-to my s-speech c-center a-and t-to the w-warp d-drives, but I-I'm s-still fairly f-functional. W-we c-can do it. I c-can do it." 

He didn't have to think about it, there was no real option. He needed to go to Earth, he needed to find Bardock's young son. Sure, he would be nothing more than a third class warrior, and therefore, for the most part useless, but he would be better than nothing. Someday, with two of them, they would be able to take out Freeza and Make Him Pay Dearly for what he had done. "Fine, set a course for Earth." He settled in the seat as comfortable as possible, crossing his arms over his chest. He would be in this position for a long time. 

"A-as you w-w-wish." 

The ship rose from the ground, taking off through the sky, leaving the deceased natives behind. Even as they were traveling, the ground below getting smaller and smaller, the ship was already preparing Vegeta for cryogenic state. 

He was completely under before the ship left the atmosphere. 


	2. Bad Day Gets Better

_Chapter One_

**Bad Days Get Better**

Darqstar (thedarqstar@wmconnect.com) 

In the summer, Harry Potter lived at Number 4 Privet drive, the same place in which he had grown up most of his life. It was a typical house, on a rather typical street. No one on the street knew, or even suspected that one of the folks who lived in #4 was far from typical. In fact, if they knew him better,most folks would have considered Harry Potter to be - extraordinary. 

It wasn't his appearance; he was a rather small and skinny lad with jet-black hair, which almost always looked tousled, even right after he had just combed it. His eyes were a very bright green and covered mostly by round glasses. The only thing unusual about his looks was the scar on his forehead, which was shaped like a lightning bolt. 

It was the rather unusual scar itself, that seemed to be the key to finding out all that was extraordinary about young Harry Potter. For the scar did not come from an automobile accident, as Harry had grown up believing, but instead, from a struggle with a powerful with whom Harry had the bad luck to tangle when he was barely a year old. Harry's parents themselves had been wizards and were killed by the same man who had given Harry this distinguishing feature. 

What was perhaps a little more extraordinary, was that for his first eleven years, Harry had no idea that his parents had been wizards, or that they had been killed by the same one who had been thwarted by him, a year-old boy. It wasn't until he was eleven that the truth came out. Now he knew who his parents were and even attended Hogwarts School of Magic and Witchcraft. 

Yes, all in all, Harry Potter was an extraordinary child. However, on this morning, he felt far from extraordinary. In fact, he felt downright unextrordinary and rather upset. 

To say it hadn't been a good morning would be a gross understatement. His Uncle Vernon had awakened him very early, to "help in the yard." Which, actually meant, "Harry did all the work, while Uncle Vernon stood around and barked orders at him." Occasionally, his Aunt Petunia came out to whisper in her husband's ear that Harry really wasn't showing a lot of effort and she so needed the bushes trimmed, the garden weeded, the grass mowed, the flowers fertilized and watered, by ten o'clock, at the latest. This would lead to Uncle Vernon screaming louder, his large, beefy face turning even redder as he ordered Harry to "pick up the pace!" 

"Not so proud when you're out of that.. place!" he barked at Harry. Uncle Vernon would never dream of calling Hogwarts by its proper name. The Dursleys were muggles (folks who had no magic blood in them.) In fact, they were probably the most muggliest muggles the world had ever seen. Hermione Granger, a close friend of Harry's once joked that the way Harry described them, she half expected to see their picture in the Wizard and Witches Dictionary under muggle and the definition - See Dursleys. It wasn't far from the truth. The Dursleys not only were Muggles, they hated anything and everything that even slightly hinted at magic. So, of course, they despised Harry. 

"Nothing to use now but good-old fashioned sweat and muscle," Uncle Vernon continued to drone. "Teach you a lesson. One you've never learned, boy. If you want to make your way in this world, you need to work, work, work. Put some muscle in it, we haven't got all day!" 

_Yeah, you're putting a lot of work into it yourself, standing and watching me!_ Harry thought, but would never say. It would almost have been worth the punishment from the Ministry of Magic just to do--something to Uncle Vernon. Preferably something that would render him mute forever. But, using magic outside of school was strictly forbidden for underage wizards like himself. Giving into temptation could cause Harry to be expelled, and staying with the Dursleys all the time was about the last thing in the world Harry wanted. So he gritted his teeth and kept working. 

The only thin slice of good in the whole mess was that Dudley, the Dursleys' son, didn't roll his way out of bed until about nine-thirty. And roll was a literal term, because Dudley had gone beyond the realm of "chunky," slid past the distinction of "husky" and settled firmly in the realm of "hugely fat." So, for two and a half hours, at least Harry didn't have to put up with him. But, even the smallest of good things come to and end, and eventually, Dudley did arise, (_with the size of the boy, his stomach probably rumbled and shook him awake._) Being Dudley, he didn't waste any time in going outside to join Uncle Vernon in shouting orders. 

"You missed a spot, Harry!" Dudley bellowed, his voice sounding strained as it had to escape its way out of all that blubber he called a neck. "Gotta get that fertilizer nice and even!" 

Harry hated weekends. At least during the week, they had breakfast earlier and Uncle Vernon would go to work. But the weekends were rather hellish with all three of them around. 

Aunt Petunia didn't call them for breakfast until 10:00, once Harry was done. "Hardly seems fair," Dudley had whined, "We have to wait until Harry finishes his chores before we can eat!" 

"I know it isn't fair, my precious Duddums," Aunt Petunia gushed. (No matter what Dudley ever said, even if it was complaining, Aunt Petunia seemed to consider it gold to her ears.) "But Daddy has to watch him to make sure he gets his work done. But he's finally finished and now we can have a nice breakfast." 

"Nice breakfast" was not quite what Harry would have called it. Dudley's weight problem had been a constant thorn in Harry's side since summer began. Dudley's school had decided that Dudley didn't just have a case of baby fat, or big bones, as Aunt Petunia would have the world believe. They saw the truth; Dudley was about the size and weight of a baby elephant, and sadly enough, not nearly as cute. Serious notes and a strict diet had been sent home with the boy and although Aunt Petunia wailed that they weren't very fair, she knew a threat when she saw one. The Days of Starvation were on, for Aunt Petunia insisted that if Dudley was on a diet, the whole family must be on one as well, even Harry, who was in more danger of being underweight than overweight. 

Weekends though, were one time that Petunia allowed Dudley a little more food to eat. (The times during the week when he was sneaking out of the house and buying donuts and soda, didn't seem to count.) "Everyone needs a reward for good behavior, Duddums," she would gush. So, today's breakfast was a half a grapefruit, vs. the normal quarter, and a half a piece of whole-wheat toast. Since Aunt Petunia divided one piece for Dudley and Harry, Harry's was more of a third of a piece of toast. Fortunately for Harry, he had asked his friends from Hogwarts for help during the days of starvation and they rose to the occasion, as he knew they would. Under the lose floorboard in his room was quite a nice stash of snacks and foods. 

He got through his meager breakfast by concentrating his thoughts on the real food he'd have upstairs as soon as it was over. He wasn't paying the slightest bit of attention to what the Dursley's were doing, until Aunt Petunia looked up and shrieked, "What is that?" 

He looked over at her and saw her pointing at the window, into the back yard, where she had obviously been looking out, hoping to catch on of the neighbors up to something. Instead, she obviously had seen something else, because she didn't look at all happy. 

Rising from his seat, Harry went over and looked out the window. Lying on the grass Harry had just mowed was a large owl. Harry knew the owl at once. "Errol!" he cried out, as he ran from the kitchen, out the back door. Errol was the Weasleys' owl, which was quite old and tired, but not --Harry hoped--quite dead. Ron Weasley was Harry's best friend who also attended Hogwarts. Since Harry was rather fond of the Weasley family, he really didn't want to have their owl die on a delivery to his house. 

Harry was so intent on checking up on Errol, that he never noticed Uncle Vernon turn beet red and shout after him, "Now where d'you think _you're_ going?" 

Fortunately for Harry (and for the Weasleys') Errol wasn't dead, he was merely exhausted from his long flight. He was clutching a letter and a package, which Harry slid under his sweatshirt before carrying Errol in the house. 

When he got inside, the Dursleys were staring at him as if he were holding something far more dangerous than an exhausted owl. "What have you got?" Uncle Vernon roared. 

"Uhm.. an owl," Harry explained, trying to sound casual, as if every typical family regularly had large owls passing out on their lawns. "He's tired, I'm going to take him upstairs and let him rest before sending him--" 

"You will not!" Uncle Vernon roared so loud that Errol actually raised his head for a moment, before letting it flop over Harry's arm. "That thing looks dangerous!" 

Harry stared down at Errol in disbelief. With his bedraggled feathers and closed eyes, Errol looked about as far from dangerous as a creature could get. "He's not dangerous, he's just tired. I'm taking him up to rest." 

"You will do no such thing!" Uncle Vernon shouted. "One owl in the house is bad enough!" Vernon was referring to Hedwig, the owl that Hagrid the grounds keeper of Hogwarts bought him for his eleventh birthday. The Dursleys hated Hedwig and tried to keep her locked in her cage as much as possible. Harry had to send her out at night to deliver letters to his friends from school. Unhappy with being cooped up so much, Hedwig hooted in complaint quite often, and that bothered Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia considerably. "The last thing we need is another, crying about--" 

"Errol won't be here for long," Harry interrupted, before Uncle Vernon could go off on another rant about owls and Hedwig in general. "He's just tired and needs a little rest. He's too exhausted to make any noise and once he's feeling better, he's gone, I promise!" 

"He's not going to have a chance to feel better!" Uncle Vernon roared. Aunt Petunia just scowled and Dudley looked positively delighted to once again, see Harry getting yelled at. "Because he's not staying!" 

"He has to stay!" Harry said. He was beginning to get frantic, afraid that Uncle Vernon would force him to put Errol out without letting him have a good rest. He'd be easy prey for the neighborhood cats and dogs, unable to fly. He thought quickly and settled on a half-truth. Harry wasn't normally the type of boy who lied, but in this case, he considered it for a good cause. "Errol needs to send a return message to…someone. If I don't write a message and let him send it back… someone will be worried." 

That stopped Uncle Vernon's yelling, and it wasn't _really_ a lie at all. He did want to send Errol with a message, but it was the _someone_ that worried the Dursleys. Harry meant the Weasleys, the Dursleys thought he meant Sirius Black, who was Harry's godfather. Harry had only met him last year when Black escaped from prison. The Dursleys knew he was a wanted criminal, they even knew that it was Harry who had helped him escape recapture. What the Dursleys didn't know, (because Harry didn't bother to tell them) was that Sirius was innocent. Life with the Dursleys was hard enough, especially now that they knew he wasn't allowed to do magic outside of Hogwarts (as they'd learned his second year thanks to the attentions of a misguided house elf named Dobby). If the thought of a dangerous criminal "checking up on Harry" made it so life was a little easier, then it was worth it, at least to Harry. 

"Fine," Uncle Vernon's extremely red face gave a better indication that it was not really "fine" at all, but something he felt he had to resign to. "Let the stupid creature rest then. But get him out and returning with his message as fast as possible!" 

"He might need some time," Harry said. "But I'll need some time to write my letter." 

"Just get out of my sight!" Uncle Vernon roared. 

Harry wasted no time, but practically ran from the room and up the stairs to the smallest bedroom in the house, where he shut the door behind him, grateful that no one had seemed to notice the rather large lump under his sweatshirt. Fortunately, the shirt was one outgrown by Dudley, so there was a lot of room, but being so skinny, if he'd stayed downstairs much longer, they might have asked how he managed to put on a few pounds, in a perfectly square lump. 

He made Errol as comfortable as possible in Hedwig's cage, something which did far from please her, and she made several disdainful noises. True owls, in her opinion, did not collapse in an exhausted heap on the lawn, when they were delivering messages. "Cut Errol some slack," Harry suggested, stroking the top of her head. Hedwig permitted Harry's attentions to soothe her figuratively and literally ruffled feathers. "He's old and tired." He put the package and the letter on the bed, ignoring them until Errol was at least sitting up and taking a drink from Hedwig's cup. 

Once Errol was settled, he turned his attention back to the letter and the package. He opened the thick, cream-colored envelope first. Inside it was a huge birthday card, signed by everyone in the Weasley family, and a letter. 

With a shock, Harry realized that today was his fourteenth birthday. The Dursleys never remembered it, so that wasn't a surprise. But somehow, he had forgotten it as well. In the blurring, boring Days of the Dursleys, as he often thought of his summer vacation, his birthday had gone right out of his head. Obviously though, the Weasleys had remembered. 

He opened the letter next. It was from Ron. Dear Harry, They changed the Quidditch World Cup to Australia, so Dad's unable to get tickets. Next time, he'll get them for sure, he says. 

Harry felt his heart sinking in his chest. Quidditch was the Wizard world's answer to professional sports. Played on a broomstick, it was easily the most popular game among Wizards and Witches. While Harry played Quidditch himself, (he was a Seeker) on the Gryffindor team at Hogwarts, he had never seen a professional game played before, and had been looking forward to this since Ron mentioned his Dad was trying to get tickets. "Great," He muttered. "Now I'm probably stuck here for every bit of summer." 

Reading on, he felt immediately better. 

But don't get too down about it. Mom and Dad say you can come to our place, if you want, for the rest of the summer. Just send the word with Errol and we'll pick you up as soon as we get it. There's a tonic for Errol in the package that should get him going faster. If that doesn't work, send your owl. 

No, it wasn't the Quidditch World Cup, but the Weasleys were a lot more fun than the Dursleys and actually seemed to enjoy his company. He wasted no time in opening the box, which besides an owl tonic contained a large, festively decorated birthday cake. He gave Errol the tonic, which brought him around in no time. The message he scribbled to Ron was short. 

Dear Ron, Yes! I'd love to visit, if it's okay with your folks. Things here are pretty bad as usual. I'm sure the Dursleys would love to see me gone early too. 

He folded up the note and tied it to Errol's leg and sent him off. Hedwig ruffled her feathers indignantly at being rejected while Harry chose to send this... _inferior_ owl to deliver messages. 

"Don't complain," Harry said, grinning, now that he knew the Days of the Dursleys would soon be over. "He's the Weasleys' owl. It makes sense to send him back." 

Still smiling, he went downstairs to tell the Dursleys he was going. Well, he didn't tell them, he asked them. But if they had said no, he would have found a way to go anyway. But, as he expected, the Dursleys weren't too upset with the idea. The only thing that bothered Uncle Vernon was how they were going to arrive. 

"Will they send a car around to pick you up?" he wanted to know. 

"I don't know," Harry admitted. "I guess we'll find out, won't we?" 

The worried look on his Aunt and Uncle's faces made him smile even more. 

* * *

Later that day, more owls arrived with further birthday surprises, from Hermione, Hagrid, and other people Harry knew from Hogwarts. The most interesting present though, came delivered by an exotic tropical bird, and was from Harry's godfather, Sirius Black. Wrapped in soft gold paper, Harry unwrapped it to find what looked like a tiny, glass cube with silver around the edges. He held it up, and looked at it, wondering what it was. It seemed like nothing more than what it appeared, but Harry knew better. He checked the box it came in again, and found a small note written in Sirius' writing. 

This is a memory cube. Clear your mind from other distractions and look at it. I think you'll like what you see. 

He picked up the cube again and held it in his palm. He forced himself not to think about anything, but just to concentrate on the cube. 

For what seemed like a long time, nothing happened. Then, inside the cube, what looked like blue-white smoke began swirling around. He watched that with interest as it curled through the cube. After a moment of that, it cleared and Harry's eyes widened. 

He was looking at the Hogwarts Quidditch field, but it didn't look quite the same, as Harry knew it. Two teams lined the fields, one in the Gryffindor's red robes, the other in the Slytherin green. He brought the cube up closer to his eyes, to see the players better. As he raised it up, the cube seemed to grow larger, until it was as if he were watching a 19" television, yet it still fit in the palm of his hand. He could see the players now, and none of them looked very familiar, until he saw the Gryffindor Seeker. 

It was James Potter, Harry's father. Spellbound, Harry watched the game, as if it were being played right before his eyes, instead of a memory from years ago. He saw as both teams fought hard, the score tying for most of the game, until finally, James Potter swooped down amazingly fast, and captured the tiny, gold winged ball known as the Snitch, which earned Gryffendor 150 points, and ended the game with their victory. 

He watched the cube again, this time turning it as he watched it. He noted that as he turned it, he could see the game from different angles. Holding it up so it was at eye level, he could even see his mother, cheering for his father in the stands. He closed his eyes for a moment, fighting off the sudden lump that appeared in his throat. When he opened his eyes again, the cube again seemed to be made of glass. 

"Thank you, Sirius," he whispered. Harry was grateful for all his gifts, but somehow it was always the adults who _truly_ watched over him who gave him the gifts he would treasure the most. His first birthday gift had been Hedwig, from Hagrid. Headmaster Dumbledore had given Harry his father's cloak of invisibility for Christmas his first year at Hogwarts. Hagrid had given him an album with moving pictures of his parents, from their wedding to his birth. 

And finally, this, from Sirius: a chance to actually see his father playing the sport Harry now loved and played himself. He put the cube on his nightstand and helped himself to a piece of cake from one of his many delivered birthday cakes. 

He had birthday cake, he had great presents, and he had visiting the Weasleys to look forward to. Harry's fourteenth birthday might have started out as one of the worst, but it was ending on a very positive note. 

End of Chapter One... 


	3. Leaving Privot Drive

_Chapter Two_  
**Leaving Privet Drive**

  


  


Although it was great to see his Aunt and Uncle fretting, Harry was a little concerned about what type of transportation arrangements the Weasleys would make to get him to their place. Harry did love the Weasleys, but being wizards, their idea of proper transportation was probably miles away from what the Dursleys would be. 

However, it turned out that his fears were unfounded. A few days after Harry sent Errol with his return message, a rather ordinary looking car pulled up in front of the house one evening. Harry, who was washing the living room windows, peered out and saw Mr. Weasley, Ron, and the twins, Fred and George, climbing out of the car. He threw his rag into the bucket of water he was using and looked over at his Aunt and Uncle, who were taking turns watching TV and watching him work. "They're here!" he said, trying not to look too excited, since the Dursleys really frowned upon anything that made Harry very happy. "I'll answer the door." 

"Do you believe this?" Uncle Vernon growled. "Just showing up, without a phone call first? What kind of people are these. Weasleys?" 

"Obviously not very well bred," Aunt Petunia agreed with a sniff of her constantly upturned nose. 

Harry ignored him and went to the door. After all, they needed something to complain about, or their day just wouldn't be complete. He opened the door, just before Mr. Weasley had a chance to ring the bell. 

"Oh, hello Harry!" Arthur Weasley exclaimed. "I was just about to try out this doorbell thingie. I've never had the chance to ring a muggle doorbell before." 

"Err. well, that might not be the best idea," Harry said, looking over his shoulder, at the Dursleys who were coming up behind him to see what was going on. "I mean, we already know you're here." 

Mr. Weasley could barely contain his disappointment, fascinated as he was, with all things having to do with Muggles. His disappointment vanished when he saw the Dursleys. He smiled and walked past Harry, into the house to greet them. "Hello! You must be Harry's Aunt and Uncle, it's a pleasure to meet you." He held out his hand. 

There was an awkward moment, as Uncle Vernon simply ignored Mr. Weasleys outstretched hand, but just gaped at him. For Mr. Weasley was wearing a faded wizard robe, clean, but worn and patched in several places. Harry was quite used to seeing robes like these--most wizards and witches wore them--but to Uncle Vernon, they were entirely wrong. 

Harry barely noticed the awkward silence from his guardians, as he greeted his best friend. "You don't know how glad I am to see you," he whispered into Ron's ear. 

Ron looked past him at his Aunt and Uncle and nodded. "Can't say as I blame you," he whispered back. "Cripes, they make flobberworms look soft and cuddly." 

"Does your aunt always look like she's been sucking lemons?" George mumbled softly into Harry's other ear. 

"And does your Uncle have a stick up his backside?" Fred inquired, a bit louder than George, but still not loud enough for the Dursleys to hear. "Or is that just some fashion statement for Muggles this year?" 

Harry tried not to laugh by bit his lower lip and settled on grinning instead. 

"My, my, what a lovely home!" Mr. Weasley exclaimed, as he walked past the Dursleys and looked around with keen interest. He had obviously decided to ignore Uncle Vernon's rudeness in his excitement to be in a real muggle household. He looked over at Harry's Aunt and Uncle and beamed. "Can't tell you how happy we are that you've agreed to let Harry come and stay with us for a bit. My wife is all excited, as is the rest of the family. We quite enjoy Harry's company, but I'm sure you do too." 

Aunt Petunia stared at him, as if he suggested she should kiss a bug. Uncle Vernon's face turned beet red. There was very little they enjoyed less than the presence of Harry Potter and they found it almost impossible to believe anyone else would. 

"Uhm, let me just go get my things," Harry said, deciding the best plan would be to get out of here as soon as possible. "My trunk is upstairs." 

"Boys, why don't you help Harry with his things?" Mr. Weasley suggested. The three Weasley boys nodded and followed after Harry as he hurried up the stairs. 

Once in Harry's room, which seemed very crowded with four boys in there, they hurried to grab Harry's things. Fred and George grabbed his trunk and carried it out of the room. Harry looked around the room carefully, making sure he wasn't going to leave anything behind. He had cleared his stash of food under the floorboards last night, locking it safely in his trunk. 

"I think we have everything," Harry said. 

"Good," Ron grabbed a bag and let Harry take Hedwig's cage. "The sooner we get out of here, the better. Harry, your aunt and uncle give me the creeps." 

"That's nothing," Harry murmured. "You haven't met Dudley." 

Harry was actually hoping that they would all escape without a chance to meet Dudley, but apparently, that wasn't in the cards. When he and Ron went downstairs, they saw Dudley (he was a little hard to miss) standing inside the hall, looking very nervous. He had been out visiting one of the neighborhood boys, but had returned. 

Harry tried not to laugh. The last time Dudley had met a wizard, he had ended up with a pig's tail, which had to be removed at a London Hospital. 

Mr. Weasley didn't know about this encounter, and was smiling at Dudley. "You must be Harry's cousin. So nice to meet you!" 

Dudley whimpered and tried to slide away, his arms crossed over his chest, over the rather bulky sweatshirt he was wearing, even though it was a hot, summer day. Harry bet that at this moment, Dudley suddenly wished he wasn't so enormous. Boys like Dudley could "slip away" about as easily as a hippopotamus. 

Mr. Weasley looked at Vernon and Petunia with a puzzled expression on his face. "Harry never mentioned his cousin being so shy," he commented. Harry could tell he was actually worried about the boy. 

Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia said nothing. Uncle Vernon's eyes were narrowed into steely slits and Harry could tell he wouldn't have minded a bit of magic right now, if it could make the Weasleys and himself just disappear. 

Fred and George had taken Harry's trunk out to the car, and were returning now. Mr. Weasley beamed at them. "Harry's trunk all set?" he asked. 

They nodded. Fred looked up at Harry and winked, then looked over at Dudley, who was still attempting to inch his large bulk down the hallway. "Hi Dudley!" he called out. "Sorry we didn't see you pass outside!" He managed to sound convincing, even though it was next to impossible to believe Dudley could pass anyone without being notice. 

"Yeah," George agreed, also giving Harry a sly wink. "We were _so_ looking forward to meeting you, Harry's told us so much about you." He started moving past the Dursleys and his father, trying to get closer. "Why, you're almost a legend at Hogwarts!" 

Harry suppressed a smile. At the mention of the name Hogwarts, Uncle Vernon's face grew even redder while Aunt Petunia's seemed to drain of all color. 

"Really!" Fred agreed. "The way Harry talks about you, you're considered larger than life around the place!" 

"Boys," Mr. Weasley said slow, trying to flash the twins a look of stern warning, but they were too intent on Dudley to even notice. Dudley himself was folding his arms tighter around his chest, as if it would make him smaller. 

"In fact," George continued, advancing on Dudley. "We'd consider it a real honor if we could shake your hand." 

"Why, yes!" Fred agreed. "It'll make us the most popular kids in Hogwarts, if we can actually say we shook the hand of the infamous Dudley Dursley. It would show them all that we can brush up with folks in the big time." 

"It would just do tons for us," George went on. 

"A real whale of a treat." 

Harry was stuck somewhere between being horrified and wanting to fall on the floor laughing. It was taking everything he had not to at least burst out in a fit of giggles. Ron wasn't doing nearly as well, but had his hand over his mouth to stifle the worst of his laughter. 

Dudley backed into the wall. "Noooo!" he shrieked. 

"You get those nasty boys away from my Duddums!" Aunt Petunia shouted, starting towards Dudley 

"Boys!" Mr. Weasley said sternly. 

It was too late. George had grabbed onto Dudley's right hand, while Fred grabbed on to the left. They pulled them away from his body, attempting to shake them, but a sudden clatter interrupted them. 

The clatter was the sound of several objects hitting the floor and the objects themselves were coming from under Dudley's sweatshirt. A bag of chips, a box of cookies, four candy bars, two individually wrapped snack cakes, and a bottle of fizzy drink, which exploded on the tile and began spraying liquid all over the place. 

"My hallway!" Aunt Petunia wailed, "I ju-" She never finished the sentence, as the bottle spun around, and slammed her in the face with foaming liquid. 

"Dudley!" Uncle Vernon roared. "I've been starving myself all summer for your diet, and you're smuggling in food?" 

"I have to, Dad, I'm dying of hunger!" Dudley whined as he raised his hands to his face to fend off a spray of fizzy drink. The drink spun around, emptied the last of the drink all over Uncle Vernon. 

"My!" Arthur Weasley said in open admiration as he looked at the quantity of drink soaked food lying on the floor around Dudley. "Are you sure you don't have a bit of wizard in you? I can't see how anyone could hide that much food under a shirt!" 

Uncle Vernon turned to Mr. Weasley, his face so red that Harry half expected blood to start spurting out his pores. "My son doesn't have any of that foolishness inside him!" he thundered. 

"I'm sorry, " Mr. Weasley began, openly puzzled at Mr. Dursleys hostility. "I wasn't meaning to insult Dudley, but you have to admit, that is an enormous quantity of food to have been hiding under-" 

"Get out of my house, now!" Uncle Vernon shouted. 

Harry was caught between laughter and being mortified. He hated seeing Uncle Vernon turn on the Weasleys like this, especially because it really wasn't their fault Dudley was smuggling in food. If Dudley hadn't been such a greedy little pig, this never would have happened. "Mr. Weasley, I really think we should leave," he suggested. 

"Perhaps that is for the best," Mr. Weasley agreed. "Come on boys, let's go." 

"Yes!" Aunt Petunia wailed. "You take your filthy children and get out of our sight! Your type shouldn't be allowed around good folks like us!" 

Mr. Weasley had been headed to the door with Ron, the twins, and Harry, but he suddenly stopped. Harry looked up and saw something in his face that he almost didn't recognize. Harry had seen it often in the face of Uncle Vernon, but never in the good-natured Arthur Weasley. 

It was anger. Not an unhappy sort of displeasure as he sometimes showed when the twins were up to mischief; this was genuine, furious anger. He turned to the Dursleys. "My children are _not_ filthy. And it is not their fault that your son is a-a- very large boy!" Then, before the Dursleys could respond to this attack, he spun on his heel and walked out the door, behind the boys. 

No one said a word as they piled into the car, which on the outside looked like an ordinary sedan. Inside, it was much larger. Harry half expected Uncle Vernon to come running outside, just to yell out the last word, but thankfully, he stayed inside. 

Mr. Weasley climbed in the back seat with the boys. There was a Wizard, probably from the Ministry of magic behind the drivers seat, wearing an emerald green robe. The driver said nothing, merely drove out of the driveway and down the street. 

Despite the awkwardness of the whole situation, and the tension that was radiating from Mr. Weasley, Harry couldn't help but smile. It would be quite a while before he saw Privet drive again and that was just fine with him. 

_End of chapter Two_


	4. The Other Guest

_Chapter Three_  
**The Other Guest**

  


It wasn't until they were almost to the Weasley house; affectionately named "the burrow" that Mr. Weasley broke the silence. "Fred, George, you really shouldn't have done that."

"We didn't do anything," Fred said, innocently. "We had no idea he was smuggling in food."

"Really, we didn't," George agreed. 

"We have to try to set a good example," Mr. Weasley continued, ignoring their please of innocence. "This whole situation did nothing to further relationships between us and muggles."

"We didn't use a lick of magic," George protested. "We didn't put the food under his shirt, _Duddums_ did that all by himself. All we did was accidentally expose his crime." 

"Yeah," Fred said, nodding. "In fact, we actually did them a favor. He's supposed to be losing weight for his health. Thanks to us, his parents now know he's smuggling in food and they can stop it. They should have thanked us."

Ron and Harry exchanged looks and tried not to laugh. Harry wondered if he would ever be able to see Dudley again and not picture him getting covered with fizzy drink, a pile of contraband food piled around his feet. As it was, thanks to Hagrid, he already pictured Dudley with a pigs tail all the time. _If this keeps up, I'm never going to be able to look at Dudley without wanting to burst out laughing,_ he thought. 

Mr. Weasley sighed. "That may well be," he admitted. "But it isn't our place to involve ourselves in something like that. It's the Dursleys' problem that Dudley is breaking the rules and we had no right to throw ourselves into their business like that. I want you to promise that if we ever meet up with them again, you won't go near Dudley."

"We promise," both boys said in unison. 

Mr. Weasley nodded. "And-err, it might be best if we just kept this to ourselves," he suggested, as they were right down the street from the Burrow. "No need to bother your, uh, mother with this."

"Why?" Fred asked, in mock, wide-eyed surprise. "Are you afraid she might get mad that you called Dudley a large boy?" 

"A _very_ large boy." George corrected. 

"That's enough!" Mr. Weasley said firmly, but his eyes were faintly twinkling. "I'm just suggesting, that she might get unnecessarily worried over this, when really, there is nothing to worry about." 

Harry breathed a sigh of relief. He really didn't like seeing Mr. Weasley mad at the twins, over the Dursleys. "I-I'm really sorry my Aunt and Uncle acted like that," he finally said. "They-they don't like folks like us."

"That's obvious," Mr. Weasley said, with a sigh. "Too bad you have to deal with them, Harry. Oh well, someday they'll realize what a fine boy you are." He looked at Harry and smiled warmly.

Harry figured the odds of the Dursleys ever accepting what he was right up there with Professor Snape becoming Harry's best friend. But, he felt it would be rude to tell Mr. Weasley this, so he said nothing.

When they arrived at the Burrow, Fred and George leaped out of the car to get Harry's trunk. Ron was still holding Harry's book bag, which contained his books from last year. He was hoping that Maybe Ginny, the youngest Weasley, would be able to use some of them. Harry had Hedwig's cage. 

Mr. Weasley thanked the driver and got out of the car. Harry followed him out the same side, while Ron left by the same door the twins had used.

"Are you boys all set with that trunk?" Mr. Weasley asked. "Do you need help?"

"Nah, we've got it," George said, as he and Fred pulled the trunk from the trunk of the car. Mr. Weasley shut the trunk for them. As the three of them walked over to Harry and Ron, the car backed out of the yard and drove away.

"Well, shall we?" Mr. Weasley led the group into the house.

Fred and George immediately headed up the stairs. "We'll just drop this in Ron's room," Fred said. 

"Why don't you give me your owl?" Mr. Weasley suggested, taking the book bag from Ron and reaching for Hedwig's cage. "Mrs. Weasley's in the kitchen, she's been looking forward to seeing you."

"Thanks," Harry said, surrendering Hedwig, who was sleeping. Harry didn't know if it was just his imagination, but Hedwig seemed more relaxed too, now that they were both away from the Dursleys.

While Mr. Weasley and the twins went to take care of Harry's things, Harry and Ron went into the kitchen. Small and cluttered, it was a total contrast compared to the large, gleaming, and spic-and-span organization of the Aunt Petunia's kitchen. Harry loved it. 

Mrs. Weasley herself was standing between the sink and the scrubbed wooden table, looking at the clock. As many things in the magic world, this clock was not what Harry was used to when he thought of clocks. It had nine hands on it, each with the name of a member of the Weasley family. And instead of numbers, it read really useful stuff like; "home" "school" "work" "hospital" "shopping" and "prison." With a mere glance, anyone could tell what any of the Weasley's were up to, even Charlie and Bill, the two oldest children, who had graduated from Hogwarts and were now living in other parts of the world. 

Harry grinned as he figured out the clock. He liked this one far better than he liked normal muggle clocks. _Someday_, he thought. _When I'm able to have a place of my own, I'll have a clock like this_. 

Mrs. Weasley smiled at the two boys. "So good to see you, Harry!" she exclaimed. And Harry knew she honestly meant it. "I hope everything went smoothly, your coming here and all."

"It went fine, Mom," Ron said, rolling his eyes. "Dad was with us, what could have happened?"

"Your father may be one thing, but the twins are another." She looked over at Harry again. "I'm so glad your aunt and uncle let you visit. It's going to be nice, having nine folks in the house again. I always did like a nice, full, house."

Harry did some quick counting in his head. "Nine? Is George or Bill visiting?" he asked, trying not to sound eager. He was interested in meeting the older brothers, especially George, who was working with dragons, in Romania. 

"Ron! You didn't tell him?" Mrs. Weasley asked, looking surprised.

"No, I didn't," Ron, said. "I was afraid if he found out there were eight other folks here, he'd decide to stay where he was." Privately, Harry thought he would rather be here with eight hundred other people, than to stay at Privet drive. 

Mrs. Weasley shook her head at Ron, and then turned her attention back to Harry. "We have a visitor for the summer. He's about your and Ron's age and he'll be going to Hogwarts with the both of you this fall." 

"Really?" Harry asked, "Who is it?"

"Oh, you don't know him," Mrs. Weasley said. "He's going to transfer there. His guardian is a muggware, but apparently neither the boy or his guardian knew he had the gift." She paused and thought for a moment, "Nor did Dumbledore, for awhile, it seems. But anyway, Dumbledore must have realized the boy has a gift and extended the invitation."

"Muggware?" Harry had never heard the term before. 

"An aware muggle," Ron informed him. "Someone who doesn't have any magic blood in them, but knows about the magic community. Seems like Dumbledore has known this kid's guardian for a long time, from what we've gathered." 

"That's right," Mrs. Weasley nodded, as she took her wand out of her pocket. She waved it towards the sink, where vegetables were out drying on a cutting board. A knife rose from the drain board and began chopping up the vegetables of its own accord. "I suppose the boy's parents might have been magic users. He was found as a very young child, I'm guessing they died when he was but a baby. He's your age, so they might have even been killed by-" she paused and looked at Harry, turning pink. "I'm so sorry." 

Harry could guess what she had been about to say. "It's okay," he said. "And you're right, if his parents were magic users, Vold- I mean, you-know-who, might have been behind their death." _He certainly was behind a lot of them_. 

"I'm sorry, Harry, I didn't mean to bring up unpleasant memories."

"Really, Mrs. Weasley, it's all right." Harry had to admit, she rather liked his concern for him at times. It had been…well, let's face it, Aunt Petunia never worried about him at all, except worry that he might do something to embarrass her or humiliate Dudley. Having someone like Ron's mother worry about him, gave him an inkling to what it might have been like for him if his mother hadn't been killed. And it gave him a warm feeling inside. 

"Well, anyway, an older muggle found him and raised him as a grandson. Then, he died and he met up with his guardian. They aren't from Europe, and his guardian couldn't come over here for too long, so Mr. Dumbledore asked Arthur and I if we'd mind taking him for the summer and making sure he made it to Hogwarts all right. Well, how could we refuse?" 

She paused for a moment, to wave her wand at the stovetop, which made the flame light under a pot of pealed potatoes. "The poor boy, he keeps losing his family. But he's really no bother. He's friendly and polite and has such a good appetite. Also, he's amazing at de-gnoming the garden. I think he's settling down to things quite nicely, actually. " 

Harry was getting curious about this guest. He had never heard of anyone being transferred to Hogwarts in the middle of their schooling. People seemed to go to their from the first year and stay until they graduated. 

"Yeah, he's just the wonder child," Ron said, winking to Harry. "Maybe his guardian will let you adopt him, if you ask him nicely?"

"Very funny, Ron." Mrs. Weasley's tone seemed to imply she found his comment anything but funny. 

"Aw, I'm only kidding. Where is Amazing Boy?" 

"He's out in the garden with your sister," Mrs. Weasley said. "He's been so good with Ginny. Why don't you take Harry out and introduce him? I'm sure the three of you will be great friends."

"Sure," Ron said gravely. "I'd imagine in a few days, we'll all want to rent a cottage on the seashore together." 

"Oh, go on with you!" Mrs. Weasley even laughed at this comment, as she motioned to the door. "Go, introduce him to Harry. Dinner will be ready in about an hour."

They walked out the back door into the garden. Harry had been here the summer before this and he was pleased to see that nothing much had changed. The garden was lush and overgrown; with all sorts of plants no muggle had ever laid eyes on, growing about. 

There was something a little different than the other time though, Harry noticed. Over by the corner wall was a small, round, wooden table. The top of the table was set with a toy tea set. Sitting on two empty crates were Ginny, Ron's younger sister, and a boy Harry had never seen. He assumed this was the visitor. 

Ginny was wearing what looked like a very old dress robe, bright yellow, with giant ladybugs on it. Around her neck was a feathered boa, and she wore a wide brimmed straw hat with a stuffed parrot on top of it. The stranger was wearing an orange jumpsuit with a belt around the middle that looked like it were made of fur and red cloth. On his head was a large, wizard cap that looked a great deal like Arthur Weasley's best one. Both of them were holding tiny cups that were releasing wisps of steam into the air. There was a plate in the middle of the table, holding what looked like crumbs from cookies that had long since disappeared, by nothing more magical than ordinary hand-to-mouth consumption.

Ron looked at Harry and put his finger to his lips, motioning him to be silent. Using the plants and hedges to hide them, the two boys crept near the tea party, until they were close enough to hear what was being said.

"It's so nice of you to stop by, Mr. Crumplebottom," Ginny said, as she put down her cup and picked up the teapot. "More tea?"

"Uhm, no thanks. If I drink anymore tea, I'll have to go to the bathroom again," the stranger said. His accent was unfamiliar to Harry and since his back was to the both of them, Harry couldn't get a very good look at his face. 

Harry put his hand over his mouth to stop from giggling. Was this stranger's name really Mr. Crumplebottom? 

"Oh, well then," Ginny put down the teapot. "I'm sorry I've run out of cookies. Shall I have one of the house elves whip up some more?"

"That's okay, Ginny. They were really good, but I'm betting your mom's gonna have dinner soon. And I don't want to spoil my appetite. Your mom is a great cook!" 

Ginny sighed. "You're forgetting! I'm not Ginny; I'm Rapporia Rumpletor, the famous actress. And you're Mr. Crumplebottom, the newly appointed Minister of Magic." 

"I'm sorry," The boy said, sounding very cheerful for someone who was apologizing. "I just can't keep all this stuff straight in my head."

"I understand, but you just need to try a bit harder. We'll go over it again. I'm Rapporia and I'm a very famous actress. In fact, I've even done muggle movies, so even the muggles know who I am. I'm also a very good sorceress. You are Mr. Crumplebottom, and you've always hoped for a chance to meet me. Then, while I was making my last hugely successful movie, I discovered a terrible plot to expose the entire magic community to the muggles. Of course, I was able to resolve the entire problem without causing any alarm, but being the Minster of Magic, you felt you had to come and check it out. Also, it was a good chance for you to meet me…"

"Poor guy," Ron whispered to Harry, distracting him from the rest of Ginny's fantasy. "She's been doing this sort of thing with him since he got here. Think we ought to rescue him?" 

Harry nodded and together they walked out from behind the bushes.

"Hey Ginny," Ron said, trying to sound casual. "Nice outfit. Don't you think you're getting a little too old to be having tea parties?"

The look on Ginny's face was one of complete annoyance. "We weren't bothering you, leave us alone!"

"Hi Ginny!" Harry said.

She looked over at Harry and smiled. "Hi, Harry." Harry noticed, with some interest, that she wasn't blushing anymore. The last time he'd seen her, she would turn bright red any time he spoke to her. While she still seemed glad to see him, her color was normal and she didn't seem to be tongue-tied either. "It's good to see you. Of course, it might be better if you hadn't been spying on us." Although she had directed the words to Harry, she glared again at Ron.

"Err, sorry." Harry said.

"Hey, you don't have to keep that hat on," Ron said to "Mr. Crumplebottom", ignoring Ginny's look of anger. "I think the tea party is pretty much over." 

"Okay," The stranger removed Mr. Weasley's hat, revealing a head of dark, black hair that made Harry's look positively well groomed. It seemed to grow in a hundred different directions, most of them sticking straight out of his head.

"By the way, " Ron continued, "This is Harry. Remember, we told you he'd be coming to stay with us." 

"Yeah, I remember." The boy turned to Harry. "It's nice to meet you, I'm Goku!" 

"Nice to meet you too," Harry said and meant it. Maybe it was the flash of eager innocence in his eyes, or maybe the fact that he was smiling so brightly, as if meeting him was the best thing in the world. Or, perhaps even that he wasn't gaping openly at the scar on his forehead, but Harry instantly warmed to Goku. 

"So, you go to Hogwarts too?" Goku asked him. "I'm starting this year. I've never been in a magic school before. In fact, I've never been to any real school before. Kamesennin says it's a good place for me to go though. He says I'll get to meet lots of girls."

"Kamesennin?" Harry repeated.

"Yup," Goku nodded. 

"Er, uh, who's that?" 

"Oh, sorry. Master Roshi. My sensei. That sorta means teacher. He's my guardian too." Goku was still smiling brightly. "He's one of the greatest Martial artists in the world and he's been teaching me a lot. I was sorry to leave, cause I still feel like I've got lots to learn, but--"

Harry never heard what came after but because it was at that moment that the fur part of Goku's "belt" unwound from around his waist and began waving merrily behind him. _It's not a belt, he thought, it's a tail! _

He didn't mean to stare, but he must have done it anyway, cause Goku followed the path his eyes were taking and grinned. "Yeah, that's my tail. And no, it isn't cause of a spell gone wrong, like people 'round here keep asking me. I've always had one. Well, sometimes it disappears, but then it comes back."

Harry tried to absorb this information, but it seemed almost too wild to be believed. However, the tail itself was very real, even if the tale behind it was a bit odd. "Uh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to- uh-stare," he stammered.

"It's okay, everyone does when they first see it," Goku said, cheerfully. "I guess tails aren't too common on people."

Harry looked over at Ron, who shrugged. Of course, Ron was raised by a magic family, so maybe a boy with a tail wasn't so unusual for him. Nor maybe, the concept of a tail disappearing and coming back.

Ginny heaved a huge sigh. "I guess we can just forget about the tea party," she muttered, as she reached under the table and pulled out a box.

"I'm sorry, Ginny," Goku said.

"For heaven's sake, why?" Ron asked, rolling his eyes. "She's been forcing you into tea parties and dragging you out for walks since you got here. I'd think you'd want to get away from it once in awhile."

"I've learned with women, the best way to deal with them is to do exactly what they want," Goku said, managing not to sound the slightest bit snarky. "And, I like Ginny, so I don't mind."

"So there!" Ginny stuck out her tongue at her brother and flipped open the box. Quickly, she began putting the tea things into the box, dumping the remains of the pot of tea onto the lawn. 

"I'll play with you tomorrow, Ginny," Goku said. "I promise." 

Harry was known to be a rather good-natured sort himself, but even he wasn't too sure how happy he'd be getting dragged into tea parties every day. And he didn't think he'd ever cotton to the idea of being called "Mr. Crumplebottom." He looked at Goku carefully, as if trying to find the boy's secret. All he could see was that Goku was still grinning brightly. _He must be amazingly good nature_, Harry thought. _Or else, he's just not too bright_. 

"Thanks," Ginny said, giving Goku a dazzling smile. She finished packing up the tea set and trotted off to the house to put it away.

"Boy, she gets weirder every day," Ron commented, watching her walk off.

"Girls do that," Goku said, nodding. "You should see Bulma." 

"Bulma?" Harry asked.

Goku nodded. "She's a friend of mine. She's a girl too, and she's always doing weird stuff. But, she's okay, I guess. Now that she's hanging with Yamcha, she's a lot easier to get along with."

"Oh, well, that's good," Harry, said, even though he really didn't understand what Goku was talking about. 

Goku nodded then scratched his head. "I'll be back in a minute, uh, I drank way too much of that tea." Before anyone could comment, he took off for the house.

"He's a little weird," Ron said, when the door had shut behind Goku. "But he's all right, really."

Harry grinned. "Yeah, he does seem a bit strange but I like him." 

Ron exhaled suddenly and sharply. "I'm glad. Cause I kind of like him too. He's weird, but he's a… cool weird. The twins like him too. Goku thinks they're geniuses cause of all the crazy stuff they keep inventing. And he laughs at a lot of their jokes. And Ginny, well, you might have competition for Ginny's heart this year. Mom says Ginny's 'got it bad' for Goku."

"That's okay by me," Harry said. "I was getting awful tired of Ginny not being able to talk around me."

"She sure doesn't have that problem with Goku."

"I noticed." 

Goku came out awhile later, and ran over to Harry and Ron. "I got to walk through the kitchen again and boy, does it smell good!" he announced with great delight.

Harry's stomach gave a lurching growl, reminding him that he hadn't eaten much all day. Breakfast with the Dursleys had consisted of a quarter of a grapefruit and lunch had been a spoonful of cottage cheese. He remembered Mrs. Weasley's cooking from the last time he had visited and he was just as eager as Goku for dinner. "I'll bet it does," he agreed. 

"Uh, sure," Ron said, scratching his head. He had grown up with this, and didn't understand why his friends would get so excited.

"She said we're having chicken!" Goku went on to inform them, licking his lips and practically drooling. "I like chicken. It's not as good as fish or lizard, but I like it!"

_Lizard?_ Harry thought. But, before he could ask Goku if he truly was fond of lizard, Goku took off like a flash across the yard and dived into the bushes. 

A few moments later, he emerged with a small, brownish creature with a head like a potato. "Gerroff me!" the creature was shouting hoarsely. Goku held him up triumphantly, by his small, horny ankles. 

"Woo!" Goku exclaimed as he began whipping the creature around and around. "Caught myself another one!"

Harry had dealt with these lawn gnomes before in this garden, and still carried a small scar where one had bitten him. He didn't have a lot of sympathy for the creatures. 

"Way to go, Goku!" Ron clapped and looked at Harry. "The garden has never been so… gnome free before he got here," he confided in a low voice. "It's almost like he can smell them out… and as far as getting rid of them, well, just watch."

Harry did watch, as Goku whipped the tiny creature around, faster and faster, until the gnome was no longer able to even say, "Gerroff me!" and no longer even looked like a gnome in his hands, but instead, a brownish blur. Just watching him spinning was beginning to make Harry feel dizzy; he could just imagine how the gnome felt.

After several minutes of whirling the gnome around, Goku finally let it go. Harry watched as it sailed through the air in a high arc, further and further, until it finally disappeared from sight, still traveling. "Whoa!" he said. "That's got to be a record!"

Ron nodded, grinning. "The length he throws them, it takes 'em days to come back. They probably need at least an afternoon to get over the dizzies!" 

"Woo-hoo!" Goku cheered, as the creature disappeared. "That was a good one! Bet he'll think twice about coming back!" 

"We can only wish," Ron said, realistically. "They've got it good here. They'll be back after a bit. Not too bright, garden gnomes." 

"Well, if he comes back before we have to head to school, I'll take care of him again," Goku said, optimistically. 

The three of them hunted for more garden gnomes until Mrs. Weasley called them for dinner. Goku must have been doing an excellent job, because they only found one other, who Goku disposed of as easily and enthusiastically as he had the first.

It was sailing through the air when the call came. "Boys, dinner!" 

All three of them were able to tear their attention away from the flying gnome and took off for the house. Goku made the lead, easily. He had to be the fastest person on his feet that Harry had ever met. 

When Harry and Ron made it inside the kitchen, Goku was already busy washing his hands at the sink. They edged their way over too, as Goku wiped his hands on a towel and held them up for Mrs. Weasley to inspect. "Do I pass?"

"Flying colors," she said, nodding. She ruffled his hair, warmly. "Sit down."

Harry and Ron washed their own hands, but didn't bother with the inspection process. Goku had been right about the kitchen smelling good. Harry had to fight the urge to drool himself, as he sat down between Ron and Mr. Weasley. 

Dinner was a crowded, noisy affair, with nine people around the table. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were both beaming, as if they couldn't imagine the luck of having two extra mouths to feed. The twins kept telling jokes that had everyone laughing between bites.

Having lived on a diet of mostly grapefruit, cottage cheese, and smuggled snacks, he was determined to give full justice to Mrs. Weasley's cooking. Mrs. Weasley seemed just as determined to make sure Harry ate as well, and kept urging him to take more. "Some more chicken, Harry?" she kept asking, or, "Could you find the room for more potatoes?" 

But if Harry was paying tribute to Mrs. Weasley's cooking, Goku was holding High Mass. It took a bit for Harry to notice, because he was so intent on eating himself, but when he was finally beginning to feel full, he noticed that everyone had pretty much finished with dinner.

Everyone but Goku.

The serving dishes were beginning to gather by him, and he was eating as if he had barely started. Harry watched, wide eyed and amazed as Goku kept filling his plate with potatoes, stuffing, chicken and vegetables, filling it until it looked as if it would topple over, and then gobbling it down and filling it again. It seemed as if he would never stop. His fork and knife were a blur.

"Look at him go!" Mrs. Weasley exclaimed, watching him fondly. "He has such an appetite!" She looked at Harry. "Are you still hungry?"

"No, I'm fine," Harry said, still watching Goku, who had stopped speaking to anyone, and was just concentrating on eating.

Ron grinned to him. "We've gotten used to it. I think his stomach lives in another dimension, otherwise, it'd blow up or something."

"Now, Ron, that's not nice!" Mrs. Weasley admonished. She had pulled out her wand and waved it at the now empty serving plates of food. They magically refilled again. 

"T'anks," Goku mumbled around a last mouthful of food from his plate. He grabbed the dishes and filled his plate again, and set to work.

"He couldn't even use a knife and a fork when he got here," Arthur Weasley told Harry. "He used chopsticks. Quite well, as a matter of fact. We didn't mind if he wanted to keep using them, but he thought it would be better to learn to eat with regular silverware, so he'd fit in better at Hogwarts. Very smart of the lad. He picked it up in no time." 

"Well, he had to, otherwise he would have starved," Fred said, grinning brightly. 

"O I woun't 'afe," Goku disagreed, chewing down a large mouthful. "I wouf had eaten wif my 'ands if I 'ad to."

"He also could barely speak English," Ginny piped up. "But Professor Dumbledore helped with that. Put an enchantment spell on him to help him along. It's worked wonderfully." She beamed at Goku with proud, open affection, as if it was her who had put the enchantment on him.

"Professor Dumbledore came here?" Harry asked. 

"Er, why, yes," Mr. Weasley said, trying to look casual, as if Dumbledore was a regular visitor to the burrow, but failing miserably. "Albus brought Goku here himself, to stay for the summer."

Harry stared at Goku in amazement. There must be something very special about Goku, if Professor Dumbledore actually decided to bring him to the Weasley's himself. Albus usually wasn't heard from in the summer. 

"Nife guy, big pointed hat," Goku mumbled, swallowing a mouthful of mashed potatoes and digging his fork in for more. "Mafter Roshi told me hef's very powerful. If Mafter Roshi says he'fs powerful, then he muft be fuper ftrong. Hef's got a nife beard. Long." He swallowed again, and without pausing, looked over at George. "Uh, are you gonna eat that biscuit?" 

George silently took the biscuit that was still lying on his plate, untouched and handed it to Goku who grinned brightly and popped the entire thing in his mouth. "Boy, thefes are fo good!" Goku exclaimed, grinning to Mrs. Weasley. "You could fhow Lunch a fing or fwo about cooking." 

During desert, which was a wonderful apple pie, Mrs. Weasley announced that tomorrow they would all be heading for Diagon Alley. "We have to pick up everyone's school things. Poor Goku doesn't even have a wand." 

"Nope," Goku agreed cheerfully. "Of course, I've never really needed one before." 

"We wanted to wait until you were here," Mrs. Weasley said, turning to Harry. "We thought that probably your aunt and uncle would be too busy to make sure you got to London."

"Err, that's one way of putting it," Harry said. He was used to Mr. and Mrs. Weasley politely offering excuses for the Dursleys. 

"What's another way?" Goku asked, looking at Harry.

"Err, uh," Harry stammered.

"Another way would be to say that the Dursleys are a bunch of selfish gits who really should take their heads out of their a--"

"That's enough, George!" Mrs. Weasley interrupted sharply. "I'm sure the Dursleys have their reasons for… "

"Being a bunch of slime balls?" Fred interrupted, trying to look innocent.

"Really!" Percy spoke up. "Must you two always be vulgar?"

"Well, if you insist, we'll do our best," George said, winking to Harry. "Hey, Percy, how's the report going?" 

Harry had heard that Percy was working for the Ministry of Magic, having graduated from Hogwarts last year. 

"The report is going very well, thank you," Percy said primly. "Mr. Crouch is counting on me--"

"--to keep your nose firmly implanted up his--"

"Fred, stop it!" Mrs. Weasley warned. 

Harry stifled a laugh, figuring it wouldn't make the situation any easier and tried to look serious to Percy. "What's the report about?" he asked him.

"Oh, now you've gone and done it," Ron muttered.

"I'm glad you asked, " Percy said, obviously delighted to have someone new to talk to about his job. "If you must know, this report is on Import Wands."

"His last report was on the thickness of cauldron bottoms," George said. "And he insisted on reading it aloud at dinner!"

"Goku fell asleep!" Fred continued. "Percy was just getting to the point where he was reading out the statistics, set forth by the Department of Standards of Sorcery Equipment, and how a lot of these… lesser brands are falling fractions short of the standard, and poor Goku just nodded off into his turnips.

"I-I'm really sorry about that," Goku said, blushing. "I guess I was more tired than I thought." 

Harry had to bite his lip this time, to keep his laughter contained. 

"Mr. Crouch said it was a brilliant report!" Percy protested. "He complimented me several times on the complete thoroughness of it. That's why he's given me this one to do." He looked at Harry. "You'd be surprised at some of the things we've been discovering about imported wands. Some of them don't even have a decent core. We even had one brought to us that was made of plastic! It's my job to make sure that all of us in the Ministry are aware of this problem and the best way is a good, thorough report on all the problems and suggestions for what can be done!"

"It's also a great way to make sure the members of the cabinet have something ready to start fires with," Fred said. 

"Not to mention that you never know when you might need a nice thick bunch of papers to transmogrify into toilet paper," George agreed. "So good of you to keep the Ministry supplied."

"I don't even know why I bother!" Percy said, getting very exasperated. 

"Us either." George said. 

"Boys," Mrs. Wesley's voice had risen dangerously high. "I think that's enough."

When dinner was finished and the kitchen picked up, the twins and Percy disappeared to their rooms. Percy, to finish work on his report, the twins… well, who really knew what happened in their room, but there were usually lots of explosions. Everyone else went into the living room. 

Harry and Ron played Wizard chess. Ginny and Goku looked through the Weasley family album. Apparently, Goku was still fascinated by the fact that in Wizard pictures, the people actually moved. Mrs. Weasley darned socks, while Mr. Weasley read the Daily Prophet. 

"You heard from… anyone interesting?" Ron asked quietly as they were playing.

Harry knew Ron was asking if he'd heard from his godfather, Sirius. He nodded. "A couple times," he murmured, just as quiet as Ron. "Nothing very interesting to talk about there. I wish he could write more often, but it's risky."

Ron nodded.

It was later than Harry was used to being up, when Mrs. Weasley finally announced that they should all go to bed. "It will be a busy day tomorrow," she said as she ushered them out of the room. "Best you all have your wits about you. We've got a lot to get done."

The three boys went to Ron's room, which all of them were using. "I wonder if I should say good night to the ghoul," Goku pondered. 

"Nah, I think he'll will live without a good night kiss," Ron joked and looked at Harry. "He actually goes to the attic and talks to it."

"Well, sure," Goku said. "He lives in the house too, doesn't he? And he told me he gets lonely up in that attic all the time." 

While Harry had heard a lot of noise coming from the attic, Harry himself had never met the ghoul responsible. It never really occurred to him to go in the attic and check him out. 

"I shouldn't complain though," Ron continued. "Ever since he started going up to chat with him every day, it's been a lot easier to sleep."

"I just asked him nicely if he could stop making so much noise when we were trying to sleep," Goku said modestly as he peeled off his shirt. "He didn't seem too keen on the idea at first, but after a bit, he saw my point."

Harry was staring at Goku, without meaning to. Minus his shirt and jumpsuit, Harry realized that Goku was a very muscular boy. In fact, he looked rather like the pictures Dudley had in his weight lifting magazines, a fad he had tried a few years ago, when he wanted to convince folks he wasn't fat, he was 'muscular'.

Goku seemed to have achieved what Dudley had tried for. Harry had to admit though, that Dudley hadn't tried very hard. You could scrape the dust off the special equipment in the basement that had been bought for Dudley to "work out" with. _If he plays Quidditch, he'd make a darned fine beater,_ Harry thought. 

Ron and Harry changed into their pajamas. Goku just took off his clothes and slid into his bed.

"You should have seen when he first got here," Ron whispered to Harry as they climbed into their beds. "He didn't wear underwear at all. Said he never saw a need for it. Mom put a stop to that quick, I can tell you that."

Harry tried not to laugh as he settled down to sleep. He could imagine the look on Mrs. Weasley's face when she found out that little fact about Goku.

"It must be a lot different living here," Harry said to Goku. "Compared to where you're from, huh?"

All that answered Harry was a soft snore. Goku was already sound asleep. 

_End of Chapter Three_


	5. Goku's Wand

_Chapter Four_  
**Goku's Wand**

  


  


It was right after breakfast the next morning, when Molly Weasley announced that because of all they needed to do that day, that they should go to Diagon Alley right away. As she pulled down the green flowerpot, Harry couldn't help but gulp a bit. "Floo powder," he said softly. It wasn't among his favorite ways to travel. 

"Flu powder?" Goku asked, polishing off the last of the toast. "Is it sick? Or does it make you sick?" 

Everyone but Harry laughed. "I think its spelled F-L-O-O," Harry explained, hiding his smile. "It's… a common way for wizards to travel." 

"Are you sure I can't just take the flying Nimbus?" Goku asked. 

No one answered him; they were all too busy lining up near the fire and probably didn't hear him. Nobody except for Harry, who wondered if the Flying Nimbus was an earlier model of his former Nimbus 2000. But, before he could ask, Goku was rising from the table. He put his dishes in the sink to soak and ran over to the fireplace. "Mrs. Weasley, do you want me to do the dishes before we go?" he asked. 

"Oh, aren't you just a blessing!" She beamed at the boy, "But no worries, I'll take care of that." She pulled her wand out of her pocket and waved it towards the sink. Immediately, the dishes began washing themselves. 

"Wow, that is so cool!" Goku's eyes shined with obvious admiration. It was a feeling Harry was quite familiar with himself. Even though Harry had known he was a wizard for three years, he still was amazed when he saw magic used as part of everyday life, especially at the Weasleys. At school, it seemed a little easier to accept without getting too fascinated, because in the school, magic was being practiced every day. On summer holiday, students weren't allowed and there were times when it was almost easy to believe it didn't exist. 

"Okay," Mr. Weasley said, "I think the best thing to do will be to send Percy first. Then the twins. I'll go after them, then we'll let Ron, Goku, and Harry, go." He smiled to Molly. "Do you mind being last?" 

"Not at all," Mrs. Weasley said, smiling back. "Okay, Percy, here you go." 

Percy took a handful of the powder and threw it into the fire. Stepping in, he shouted, "Diagon Alley!" and disappeared. 

"Oh wow!" For a moment, Harry thought Goku's eyes were going to fall right out of his head; they were so wide and round. "He walked into the fire, but he didn't burn, he disappeared! Wow!" 

"That's right, you've never used Floo powder," Mrs. Weasley said, as she held out the pot for George, then Fred, who followed Percy's lead. "Well, you have to be careful. Be sure to speak clearly. Watch the others, now and be careful. Last year poor Harry here ended up in Knockturn Alley. 

"Yes," Mr. Weasley said, as he took a handful himself. "Be very careful, we wouldn't want to go through that again!" With that, he threw his powder into the fire, yelled "Diagon Alley!" and disappeared. 

Ron was next, and then it was Goku's turn. "Don't be afraid, dear, you'll do fine," Mrs. Weasley said as she handed him the pot. 

"So, it's Diagon Alley?" Goku asked. He didn't look afraid at all, but more excited. 

"Yes dear, shout it nice and loud." 

Goku nodded. He grabbed a handful of Floo powder, screamed, "Diagon Alley!" then jumped into the fire, where he disappeared. For a moment, Harry could have sworn he could hear him laughing. 

"My, he is enthusiastic, isn't he?" Mrs. Weasley said, as she offered the pot to Harry. "Here you go, dear. I'll be right behind you." 

Harry took a handful, hoping this trip would go better than his past ones had. He threw the powder into the fire and shouted, "Diagon Alley!" and stepped into the fire. A pleasant glow surrounded him, and then he felt his stomach lurch, as if someone had hooked him by his stomach and began pulling him forward. He closed his eyes tightly. 

The feeling subsided. He opened his eyes and saw he was in the fireplace of the Leaky Cauldron. The Weasleys who had come before him were all gathered around someone. "Something wrong?" he asked as he climbed out of the fireplace. 

"Goku's having a reaction," Ron said, moving aside so Harry could see. 

Goku was kneeling on the floor, looking sheet white and pale. There was a basin someone had set in front of him and from the looks of it; part of his breakfast was no longer inside him. "Don't wanna get sick no more," he was mumbling. 

"I've never seen this happen before!" George exclaimed. "Barfing by Floo!" 

"Well, only one out of every two thousand people experience side effects from using Floo powder," Percy said. "It was all in the first report I did for Mr. Crouch, weren't you listening to it when I read it out loud at dinner that night?" 

"No!" The twins announced in cheerful unison. 

"Are you all right?" Mr. Weasley was kneeling beside Goku, rubbing his back gently. 

"What's going on here?" someone asked. It was Mrs. Weasley, who had just arrived and was stepping out of the fire. 

"Goku doesn't like Floo powder," Fred explained. "He's tossing his cookies." 

Mrs. Weasley looked at Goku briefly then nodded. "We can fix that quickly. Hang on, Goku, we'll have you fixed up soon." She walked over to the bar and talked to the bartender for a moment. He nodded and began mixing something up. A minute or so later, he handed her a goblet. Rising from the goblet was a thick, bluish-green smoke. She brought it over and handed it to Goku. "Here you go." 

Goku took it and swallowed it down without hesitation. Harry had caught a faint whiff when Mrs. Weasley passed him, and was surprised at Goku's eagerness. He knew he would have thought twice before drinking that mixture. It reminded Harry of one of Neville's assignments for Snapes class; one where Hermione never got the chance to help him. 

"Tastes kinda minty," Goku commented, twisting so he was sitting on the floor rather than kneeling. "Just kinda though." 

"How's your stomach?" Mrs. Weasley asked. 

Goku thought for a moment, his brow furrowed, and then broke into a grin. "Hey, I'm not urpy anymore! This stuff really works!" 

Mr. Weasley was looking at his wife with happy surprise. "I never knew you knew how to cure Floo sickness!" 

Molly smiled. "I used to suffer from it myself when I was younger. I was a little worried one of our children might suffer from it, but thankfully, that seems to have skipped them." She turned her attention back to Goku. "We'll get you a glass before we head back. Then you won't get sick." 

"Thanks." Goku leaped to his feet. No one would ever believe that two minutes ago, he'd been white and shaking on the floor. 

"I wish I had known you knew how to fix that," Percy said. "I would have included the cure in the report to Mr. Crouch." 

"Well, you never asked, now, did you?" Mrs. Weasley said. "And, I don't think about it much, now that I've seemed to have outgrown it. Well, now that Goku is better, shall we go?" 

They left the Leaky Cauldron. Mr. Weasley tapped the bricks, opening up Diagon Alley to them. Goku gasped, as the bricks seemed to move of their own accord. "Where are we going first?" he asked, bouncing on the balls of his feet in excitement. 

"To Gringott's of course," Mrs. Weasley said. 

Harry was surprised to find out that Goku too, had a vault at Gringott's. Since it was closest to the top, that was where they went first. Goku wasn't too eager to leave the cart, but was finally convinced to do so by the promise that once he got his money, they'd take off again. 

When the door to Goku's vault opened, Harry was a bit relieved to see that there seemed to be a healthy supply of money inside. He knew his own vault had plenty of money in it, and it made him uncomfortable to have so much when the Weasleys had so little. If Goku too, had only a tiny bit, Harry would have felt just terrible. 

"How much should I take?" Goku asked called to Mrs. Weasley. "I don't have a clue!" 

She walked into the vault and helped Goku fill his bag. She didn't seem the least bit envious that this child had so much money to spend. "You'll want some extra too," she said, once they figured out how much he would need for school supplies. "You'll need money to take to Hogwarts so you can go into Hogsmeade on weekends." 

"Okay." Goku nodded and dumped some more sickles and galleons into his bag. 

The Weasleys' vault was next. Just as she had the year before, Mrs. Weasley emptied the entire pitiful pile of sickles and knuts into her bag. There were only two of galleons and she put those in her pocket. 

Harry's vault was last. He filled his bag quickly. When he got back into the cart, Goku was grinning. "You've got lots of money," he said, flatly, as if the word "tact" had never appeared in his vocabulary. 

"Of course he does," Mrs. Weasley said. "His parents were quite well off when they were… when they passed on. And it's a good thing too, we wouldn't want Harry to be financially strained now, would we?" 

Harry smiled; amazed at how Mrs. Weasley could think it was wonderful that he had so much money. He really wished he could share it with the Weasleys, just give them a huge pile of money, but he knew they wouldn't take it. 

After Gringott's, they decided to go to Flourish & Blotts first. "Might as well get the books out of the way," Mrs. Weasley said grimly. "Oh well, at least Ginny is set for the most part." Between Harry's books (which he had to say that he was only loaning to get them to accept his offer) and Ron's, most of Ginny's books were covered. "Of course, she'll still need a few. Perhaps we can find good second hand ones." 

"Are you guys, like poor or something?" Goku asked. 

Harry stared at Goku in disbelief. But Goku wasn't being rude, or at least not deliberately. He was looking at Mr. and Mrs. Weasley with honest curiosity. 

"We're not as well off as some," Mrs. Weasley cheerfully admitted, "But we get by." 

"Oh," Goku said, nodding. 

Only the Weasley children seemed embarrassed by the question. 

Inside the bookstore, Harry pulled out his list, which had arrived at the Dursleys the week before. 

_The Standard Book of Spells - Grade 4.   
Predicting the Unpredictable  
Intermediate Transfigurations, Volume II  
The Amazing Book of Magical Creatures  
Charming Charms, Alarming Charms.  
Against the Forces of Darkness._  


The last one caught his eye and he looked at Ron. "They must have found a new teacher for Defense Against The Dark Arts." 

"Let's see how long this one lasts," Ron said bitterly. "And he can't be better than Professor Lupin." 

Harry agreed. Professor Lupin had been a wonderful teacher. It was too bad that Snape had to stick his nose into things and reveal that he was a werewolf. "Well," he finally said, deciding that it wasn't really the new teacher's fault, "Maybe the new Professor will be just as good." 

"I doubt it," Ron muttered. 

It was a viewpoint Harry privately agreed with. 

Towards the bottom of the booklist was another book and a note. Harry read both, curiously. 

_The Basic Handbook On Muggles. _

According to our records, you were raised with a Muggle family and do not need to buy this book. This book is for a special class starting this year, which is mandatory for all students who have grown up in primarily magic households. 

Of course, students who have grown up in Muggle households are still welcome to take the class if they wish. I'm sure your insight will be helpful for your fellow students! 

"Hey, Ron, did you hear about this?" Harry asked, showing him the note. 

Ron nodded and groaned. "Yeah, I have. It's not exactly Muggle studies, but it's close. I guess they just decided we were all growing up too ignorant of muggles and figured we needed a basic course." He paused, to roll his eyes before continuing; "I think I need it like a hole in my head. I mean, I know lots about Muggles, just from hanging around with you and Hermione." 

Harry smiled, remembering the disaster of last summer, where Ron tried to phone him at the Dursleys and ended up screaming at the top of his lungs and mentioning that he went to Hogwarts. Uncle Vernon had been plenty upset at that call. Ron might think he knew a lot about muggles, but truth be told, he could use a few pointers. "I think I'll get the book too," he said. "I don't have to take the class, but it might be interesting." 

"Suit yourself," Ron said, shrugging. "I wouldn't take it if I didn't have to." 

The clerk at Flourish and Botts was able to fill their order quickly. As they were checking out, Harry flipped through Against The Forces of Darkness, remembering Gilderoy Lockhart, their second year Defense against the dark arts teacher. He had requested they buy all the books that he (Gilderoy) had written. Most of them had been self-centered valentines to the author, of slush and goo. Very little good stuff, and the little there was, turned out to be not credited to the author, but stolen from people who then had their memories erased by Lockhart. Harry was not at all sorry for Lockhart, who had tried to put a memory charm on him and Ron, only to have it backfire on himself instead. It was a case of justice well served and a good example of why folks should never practice magic with a broken wand. 

Against The Forces of Darkness seemed like a much better book, even by brief skimming. All sorts of creatures were covered and the last part of the book seemed dedicated not to evil magic creatures, but to combating evil itself, no matter what the form. "Ron, I think we might actually learn something this year," he said, showing Ron the book. 

"Playing Herminie's game and starting early?" Ron teased as he looked over Harry's shoulder at the book. "Hey, this doesn't seem so bad after all." 

"No, it doesn't." 

"Eh, k'hm?" 

A very obviously fake cough interrupted them. Harry looked up and saw the clerk, waiting for Harry to hand him the book so he could wrap it up with the others. "Oops, sorry 'bout that," he mumbled, closing the book and handing it to the clerk. 

They left the shop together. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley looked very pleased, because most of the books they had to buy, they were able to find second hand and in very good condition. 

They stopped at the apothecary and replenished their potions kits. Goku had to buy and entire beginner's kit, and then Harry and Ron had to convince him that tasting the contents would be a bad idea all around. After that, they stocked up on quills and parchment. 

When that was over, Fred and George announced they wanted to go to the joke shop. "All right, but be careful!" Mrs. Weasley admonished, "And don't pick up anything that explodes too loudly, all right?" Percy wanted to go back to Flourish & Blotts to look up something and Ginny wanted to go with him, because she thought she saw one of her dorm mates heading there too. Mr. Weasley ran into a couple old friends who wanted to buy him a drink at the Leaky Cauldron. 

"Well, we might as well meet at the Leaky Cauldron for lunch," Arthur suggested. "Let's say in an hour?" 

"All right," Mrs. Weasley nodded. "I'm sure I'll run into the twins and Percy soon, and I'll let them know." 

When Mr. Weasley had left, Molly decided she'd better let Percy, Ginny, and the twins know as soon as possible and sent Ron to go find them and let them know. "We'll meet you at Ollivander's," she told him. "We have to get Goku his wand." 

Ron just nodded and ran off. Harry was glad he wasn't asked to go with him. He remembered getting his own wand from Ollivanders and was curious to see what it would be like for Goku. 

Ollivander's, Makers of Magic Wands since 382 B.C. had not changed in the slightest in the two years since Harry had been in there. It still looked old, smelled faintly musty, and even had the same wand on a pillow in the window. 

It took Ollivander a few minutes to come out from the back. When he did, he smiled at Harry. "Eleven inches, holly with a Phoenix feather core! Very supple. How's the wand?" 

"It-it's just fine," Harry said, hoping he wouldn't mention in front of Mrs. Weasley that it also happened to be the twin of Voldemort's wand. Harry worked well with the wand and didn't want anyone to think it was odd that its brother just happened to belong to the same person who had killed Harry's parents. 

"Good, glad to hear it." He looked at Mrs. Weasley. "Ah, I remember you! Nine and a half inches, rosewood, with unicorn hair. Excellent for enchantment." 

Mrs. Weasley smiled and brought out the wand he spoke of. "I still have it, too." 

Mr. Ollivander looked the wand over carefully. "You take very good care of it, my dear," he said, nodding his approval. "Polish it a lot?" 

"Every night I get the chance," Mrs. Weasley said. She looked over at Harry and winked. Harry knew there were many nights she just didn't have the time to polish her wand, especially not with five children running around. _She probably polished it last night, knowing she'd be coming here._

"Well, what can I do for you today? No, let me guess, this one needs his first wand!" He smiled at Goku. "Am I correct?" 

"Yes sir," Goku said, politely. 

"Excellent, excellent." Mr. Ollivander nodded. "Have they told you about Ollivander wands?" 

"A bit," Goku said. "Mostly that you can't buy a finer wand anywhere." 

Mr. Ollivander nodded, blinking his strange, silvery eyes. "They are correct," he said. "No two Ollivander wands are the same, just as no two wizards are the same. Each wand is as special as the user. And remember, the wand chooses the user, not the user the wand." 

"Okay," Goku nodded. Harry noted, with interest that in this dusty shop, and Mr. Ollivander and his unusual eyes, Goku seemed more subdued than normal. 

Mr. Ollivander measured Goku and nodded. Just as he did when he measured Harry, his tape measure moved by itself. Goku said nothing, just waited. Mr. Ollivander walked over to one of the shelves and brought down a long, thin, box. "Elm, seven and a half inches, unicorn tail. Swishy." He handed it to Goku. 

Goku took it gently and stared at it. 

"Don't be shy, boy, give it a wave!" Ollivander said. 

"Oh, okay." Goku did as he was instructed. Nothing happened. 

"Ah, obviously not it. Let's try…" Already he was over by the shelves, pulling down another box. "This one! Ten inches, red maple, phoenix feather. Very supple indeed." 

Goku waved this one immediately and nothing happened again. 

Mr. Ollivander went and fetched several boxes this time, and tried several wands. None of them worked. Harry grinned. He didn't want to see Goku having a hard time, but it was good to know he wasn't the only difficult customer Ollivander had. 

"Are you sure none of those are right?" Goku asked, his eyes widening with concern as he noticed the pile of "rejected ones" growing larger. 

"Of course not," Mr. Ollivander said, scornfully. "Don't worry about it, child. I know the right wand for you is in here, it's just a matter of putting my hands on it, and I will very shortly." 

Ron returned as Mr. Ollivander was climbing the upper shelves for more boxes. "Having a little trouble?" he whispered. 

"Yeah," Goku said, ruefully. "I can't seem to make one work." 

"Don't worry, it took Ollivander almost an hour before he found the right wand for me," Ron said. 

"How do I know if I have the right wand?" 

"You'll know," Ron said. "It'll just feel… right. And, when you swish it, something will happen. With mine, blue smoke swirled out of the end when I waved it. None of the other wands did that." 

"I had golden sparks," Harry said. "And when I held my wand, I felt warm and it felt comfortable." 

Goku nodded. "warm, comfortable, sparks, smoke swirls, feels right. Got it." 

Mrs. Weasley laughed. "Just relax, Goku. It will all be fine." 

But it wasn't so fine, three hours later, when Goku was still trying out wands. Percy had come in ages ago, having been sent by Mr. Weasley from the Leaky Cauldron to ask what the holdup was. "Finding Goku's wand is a bit harder than we thought," Mrs. Weasley whispered to him. "Tell your father to be patient, we'll be along in a bit." 

"All right," Percy said, nodding. "We'll wait for you there." 

The only one who didn't seem at all upset by this was Mr. Ollivander himself. He kept going in back and running up shelves for boxes. Ron was sitting in the spindly chair looking as if he would fall asleep. Mrs. Weasley looked a bit tired and Harry was stifling yawns. Finding his wand had been nothing compared to this. 

Finally, after Goku had tried all the wands in the latest armful, Mr. Ollivander stopped looking delighted and started looking worried. "I've tried every wand in the shop!" he exclaimed. "This has never happened to me!" He looked at Mrs. Weasley rather desperately. 

"Goku has to have a wand," Mrs. Weasley sounded very concerned. "Are you sure that's the last one?" 

Harry, who had been looking around the shop, shook his head. "No it isn't," he said. 

"What?" 

Everyone in the room looked at him, making Harry feel just a bit uncomfortable, but he still shook his head. "There's one more wand left. That one up there." He pointed to the very top of a bookshelf, where there was one box left, barely visible and covered with a thick layer of dust. 

"Oh yes, I forgot about that one, but I hardly think-" Mr. Ollivander stopped suddenly and looked at Goku, his eyes squinting. "Well, you never know now, do you?" He turned and went to fetch the wand. 

When he came back, Harry saw the box he was holding was made of a dark wood and had a tiny, gold latch on it and gold hinges. Mr. Ollivander wiped the dust off with the sleeve of his robe and opened the box slowly, almost reverently, revealing the wand inside. "Eleven and a half inches, Dragon Heartstring, Asian White Birch. Very supple. Give it a try." 

Goku hesitated for a moment, and then took the wand from its case. "Ooo!" he murmured softly. As Harry watched, a golden glow seemed to spread through him for a moment. Mr. Ollivander nodded, his eyes suddenly quite bright again. 

"Go ahead," he whispered. "Give it a wave." 

As Goku waved the wand, a bright ball of light formed in the air. Suddenly it split into seven smaller balls of golden light, which scattered in entirely different directions, one narrowly missing Harry's ear. 

"Oh!" Goku exclaimed, just staring. "Oh boy!" 

"I think we found it," Ron said, grinning. "Not a moment too soon, cause I'm starved!" 

"I-I like this one," Goku said. 

Mr. Ollivander was staring at Goku, with the same expression he had stared at Harry with when Harry had found his wand. Respect, curiosity, and maybe even a little awe. "That...is a very special wand," He murmured. 

"Yeah, it's cool!" Goku said, looking as if he was fighting the urge to start waving it around the room. Harry rather hoped he wouldn't, he didn't want to duck more tiny glowing orbs. 

"The core of that wand, the dragon heartstring, came from a very special dragon," Mr. Ollivander explained. "In fact, as far as I know, that dragon has only given one heartstring, ever." He was wringing his hands, watching Goku eagerly. 

"Really?" Goku looked mildly shocked. 

"Yes!" Ollivander confirmed, nodding as well. "The dragon whose heartstring is in that wand is none other than Shenlon, the Eternal dragon." 

"Really?" Goku went from mildly shocked to extremely pleased. "I've seen him before! He's the dragon that grants the wish when you get all seven of the magic dragon balls together. And part of him is in my wand? That's great!" 

Harry was suddenly afraid Mr. Ollivander would completely collapse under the excitement of hearing that not only did Goku know who this Shenlon was, but had actually met him. "I've had that wand in my shop for over 900 years," he whispered. "It's been waiting all that time for you." 

"Neat!" Goku grinned ear to ear. "Yeah, I want this one!" 

Harry noted with interest that Goku's wand was the same price as Harry's had been. 

Goku was staring at his wand box as they left the shop. "This is so great," he said. 

"Did you really meet that dragon?" Ron asked. "I've never heard of any dragon named Shenlon." 

"I think Charlie has mentioned him to us before," Mrs. Weasley said. "He's the dragon that lives in the center of the earth, isn't he?" 

Goku nodded. "And if you gather up the seven dragon balls and say the right words, he comes forth and will grant you a single wish. It can be anything!" He paused then added, "Well, anything within his power, but he's got a lot of power. My friend Oolong wished for supremely comfortable underwear from him and got it!" 

Harry and Ron stared at each other. Imagine having the power to wish for just about anything and wasting it on underwear? "I wouldn't do that," Ron muttered. "I'd wish for a vault full of gold Galleons." 

"You'd get it too, if you gathered up all the dragon balls," Goku said, nodding. "But, you couldn't do that for awhile anyway. Cause after the wish, the balls are scattered and just look like ordinary rocks for a year or so." 

"Too bad." Ron snapped his fingers, in disappointment. 

After lunch they went to the robe shop. Harry's robes were a bit small and Goku of course, needed a full set. "You also need dress robes," Mrs. Weasley reminded them. Harry was a little concerned about what dress robes were. As it turned out, the dress robes came in a variety of designs and colors and there were some that looked much like his every day robes. He had been a little worried all of them would be extraordinarily frilly or something. 

"Why do we need stupid dress robes anyway?" Ron muttered. 

"Because the list said so," Mrs. Weasley said. "You're older now, there are going to be some occasions that call for them, like the winter ball." 

Goku and Harry got their every day robes first. The dress robes were a little harder. Harry picked himself one in a deep shade of green. (Mrs. Weasley told him it would look good with his eyes.) Goku picked orange and didn't seem to care if it went with his eyes or not. 

Ron was looking at one in a rich, royal blue when Mrs. Weasley came over, holding up a crimson colored robe with moldy looking lace on the sleeves and collar. "I think this will fit you," she said. 

All three boys stared at it. Ron's expression was one of horror. "I'm not wearing that, Mum. I'd have to be crazy." 

Mrs. Weasley stared at him for a moment, then stepped back a few feet and motioned Ron to follow. He did and they started arguing, trying to be soft, but parts of it could still be overheard. Harry and Goku turned back to the racks of dress robes as if they were the most fascinating things they had ever seen, so as if to look like they were not listening. 

"I won't wear it, Mum. Folks will think I'm insane." 

"But you have to have dress robes, the list said--" 

"--the list can take a walk as far as I'm concerned, it looks a dress for Ginny." 

Goku looked over at Harry. "Why can't she just buy him the blue one?" he whispered, "he likes that one." 

Harry said nothing, but rubbed his thumb against his fingers. Goku stared and then slowly nodded. "Money!" he whispered, a bit loudly. 

Fortunately, Ron and his mother were too busy arguing to hear his comment. "--why can't I get ones like Harry and Goku have?" 

"Because we have to go second hand and there just aren't many choices." 

"Well, why can't I have one of Fred or George's, they aren't bad." 

"They need them themselves. I'm sorry there was a better selection for them, but these things happen. I'll trim off the lace, you'll see-" 

"I'll see nothing, I refuse to wear it." 

"It doesn't seem fair," Goku whispered to Harry. "You and I have got plenty of money. Can't we just buy him the robe?" 

"Fine, don't wear it. You can go to the dance starkers for all I care!" 

"Maybe I will!" 

Harry had been wishing the same thing, but shook his head. "It's pride. They won't take it." 

"Why not?" Goku looked genuinely puzzled. "They've been taking care of me since summer began for free. They let me sleep in their house. They've fed me, which can't be cheap. And I'm just supposed to give them some stupid--" he stopped abruptly and grinned. 

"What?" Harry asked. 

"I just had an idea." 

For some reason, that worried Harry, so he decided he'd better keep an eye on him. Goku walked over to Mrs. Weasley, who was standing, still holding the dress and looking very upset. Ron had turned his back to her, crossing his arms over his chest with a stubborn look. "Mrs. Weasley," Goku said. "Can I please buy Ron a robe?" 

Harry groaned. Ron looked vaguely hopeful, but upset at the same time. Mrs. Weasley turned red and stammered, "I appreciate it, Goku, but--" 

"Please, Mrs. Weasley, it would really help me out a lot!" Goku said, his eyes wide. Harry and Ron stared at each other. Ron turned to look at his mother and Goku. 

Mrs. Weasley looked at him curiously. "Help you out?" she repeated, as if confirming what he had said. 

Goku nodded. "Yeah. You see, before I came here, when Master Roshi was helping me get ready, and making sure I had money and all such, he told me that I had to buy a present for your family for taking care of me for the summer. I-I asked him what I should get, and he suggested a nice plant or a bowl of flowers, or maybe a really fancy box of candy. But that's stupid. You have lots of plants and flowers in your garden, some of the prettiest ones I've ever seen. And you make the best cookies and fudge, so why would you want store-bought stuff? So you see, I can't think of anything I can give you folks. But now, see, Ron wants a different dress robe, so if I could buy him that…" He paused and looked up at her, his eyes very large and very round before continuing, "…it would be perfect. I know he wants it, and then I will have done what Master Roshi asked of me. Please, Mrs. Weasley, it would make things so much easier for me." 

"But, Goku, a dress robe is a bit different from a plant…" Mrs. Weasley began. 

"Not if we both chip in," Harry interrupted, quickly. "Goku's right. I should have bought something to say thank you too. I stayed with you last summer and this summer and I never even got you anything." 

"See?" Goku grinned. "If Harry and I chip in, we'll both, uhm, uh," He paused and scratched his head thinking. 

"Fulfill our obligations?" Harry supplied for him. 

"Yeah, that's it." Goku nodded. "So, please, Mrs. Weasley, can we?" 

Mrs. Weasley looked bewildered for a few minutes, and then finally nodded. "If it would make both of you happy, I-I guess so." 

"Yay!" 

They left the store five minutes later, with three new dress robes. "I wish I could have thought of that," Harry said to Goku. 

Goku shrugged. "He wanted the blue robe, we wanted to buy it for him. We just had to find a good excuse to do it." 

It was getting late, so they returned home. Mrs. Weasley made sure Goku drank down the "Floo Powder" cure before they left, so when everyone returned to the Burrow, Goku wasn't sick. "That's a relief," he said, as he walked out of the fire. "I hate getting sick." 

Harry agreed. He didn't know if he'd ever feel totally comfortable traveling that way, but at least he didn't have to worry about getting sick when he arrived.   


_End of Chapter Four_

Author's notes: There is a wonderful illustration to this story, which was done by Sabrebabe. (sabrebabe@chartermi.net) It can be found here: http://doghouse.la.ca.us/~darqstar/otherfandoms/hpdbz/graphics/gokuwand.html Check it out. If you like it, email the artist and let her know, okay? I want to encourage her. 


	6. The Stranger And The Owl

  


_Chapter Five_  
**The Stranger and the Owl**

  


  
Away from the Dursleys, Harry found the end of his summer passing a lot quicker (and a lot more enjoyably) than the first part did. As the days stretched out, long, hot, and hazy, it seemed as if he, Goku, and the Weasley boys would never run out of things to do, ways to have fun. 

They practiced Quidditch a lot, which was interesting, because Goku's "Flying Nimbus" was not a broom, but an actual gold, flying cloud that sounded a lot like an out-of-tune car when it moved. And Goku didn't ride it like a broomstick; instead he stood on it, as he swooped about. This gave him an unfair advantage, as he didn't have to use any hands for steering, but since it was all in fun, it didn't really matter. 

They took turns using Harry's Firebolt, and discovered that Ron had potential as a Chaser. "And with two of the Chasers graduating last year, you've got a good chance if you try out," Fred pointed out. 

"You really think so?" Ron asked, looking hopeful and skeptical at the same time. 

"We wouldn't say it if we didn't believe it," George said. "We've got some time this summer, we'll practice a lot and get you ready for try-outs." 

"I'd be the first Chaser in the family," Ron said, softly. 

"The only problem I see is getting you used to Bludgers," George continued. "We can't use a real Bludger here, too risky. But it takes some getting used to." 

"If the Beaters are doing their job, it shouldn't be a problem, should it?" Ron asked, staring at his brothers. 

Harry chuckled. They were in the old orchard, taking a break. Goku was still on his "Flying Nimbus" swooping around, laughing and giggling. _Glad he's not around all the time,_ he thought. _He could be really-_ His thoughts stopped abruptly and he looked at the Weasley's. "Hey, I've got an idea." 

Five minutes later, they were back to playing again, but this time, they had a Bludger, in the form of Goku. Once the idea was explained to him, he warmed to it rather quickly. 

"So, you want me to fly around and try to knock him around a bit?" 

They all nodded. "We're not flying too high, so even if you manage to get him off his broom, he should be fine," George explained. "And remember, Fred and I will be trying to stop you from bothering him." 

"That sounds like fun, let's do it!" 

They continued to practice the rest of the afternoon, using Goku as the Bludger. In some ways, he proved to be much more distracting than a real Bludger. "That's okay though," George said, after the fifteenth time Goku managed to evade him and Fred and knock Ron off his broom. "Better to be over trained for Bludgers than under trained." 

"Easy for you to say," Ron muttered as he picked himself up off the ground and wiped off the back of his pants. "You're not the ones being shoved to the ground around all the time." 

They all laughed. 

* * *

Other days were filled with other activities. There were chores to be done around the house, but Harry realized that chores were a lot more fun if you were sharing them with other people. In the evenings, they read their books and tried to help Goku catch up to them, which was no easy feat. 

"It's like you're going to have to learn the stuff we learned over the last three years before you can go on," Ron commented. 

"I know," Goku said, cheerfully. "I'm kinda in a bad situation. But, it'll work out. Professor Dumbledore said he'd make sure I had extra help." 

"Maybe Hermione will help," Ron said, grinning to Harry. "She loves helping people study." 

Harry chuckled softly. It was amusing, but accurate. Hermione would probably jump at the chance to help Goku catch up. 

"That would be good!" Goku said. "Cause I know I need all the help I can get." 

Hermione wrote more often, now that she knew Harry was at the Weasleys. Partly, because she had been worried about how the Dursleys would react if they had intercepted any of Harry's mail before Harry could get to it, and partly because she could now write Ron and Harry one letter together. Her family had vacationed for a bit, but returned towards the end of summer, so Hermione could get packed and pick up her school supplies. 

_We're going to Diagon Alley next Saturday._(She wrote in one letter) _It's too bad you already got your supplies; it would have been nice if we could have met up there. But I suppose we'll all meet on the train. I'm looking forward to meeting Goku; he sounds interesting._

"It is too bad," Ron said. He and Harry were reading the letter together at the kitchen table. Goku was busy petting the post owl that had brought the message. 

"Yeah," Harry agreed. "But, we'll see her on the train." 

"Nice owl," Goku said, as he gave the barn owl a small dish of water. "Here, you drink this before you head back." 

Harry smiled. Goku seemed to have a way with animals. Hedwig and Errol both accepted affection and treats from him easily and the small owl Sirius gave to Ron, Pidwidgeon, became terribly excited every time Goku came in the room. Of course, Pig (Pidgwidegon's nickname) became terribly excited over the least little thing, but it still seemed that he became a bit more excited with Goku than he did with anyone else except for Ron. 

"I wish I had an owl," Goku said, as he fed the post owl some treats. "That would be neat." 

Mrs. Weasley looked at Ron and Harry then at Goku. "My goodness, that's right!" she exclaimed. "We never got you a familiar!" 

"Huh?" Goku looked at her and scratched his head. 

"Familiar. It's a wizard pet," Harry explained. 

"And I can take one to school?" Goku grinned broadly. 

Ron nodded. "Yeah, I take Pig to school with me, and Harry takes Hedwig. Hermione has Crookshanks. That's a cat. You can have a cat, and owl, or a toad. Which would you want? I wouldn't pick a toad though. No one wants a toad." His nose wrinkled for a moment. 

"I want an owl!" Goku shouted, getting very excited. "Can I use it to send letters to Krillen and Master Roshi?" 

Mrs. Weasley nodded. "Since Master Roshi is aware of us and understands how we send letters, I'll bet if you get an owl, he or she should be able to find him. Owls are very smart." 

"Whoo-hoo!" Goku cheered. "I wanna get an owl. Can we get one tonight? Owls go out at night, I'll bet we could hunt one down." 

Harry, Mrs. Weasley, and Ron tried not to laugh. "A wild owl wouldn't be very good," Mrs. Weasley explained, her eyes twinkling. "We'll have to go back to Diagon Alley and take you to Eeylops Owl Emporium or one of the other magical creatures shops." 

Ron and Harry looked at each other, their eyes lighting up. "Mom," Ron asked, trying not to sound too eager. "Can we go and get Goku's owl next Saturday?" 

Mrs. Weasley thought for a moment. "I think we could do that," she said, hesitantly. "If I couldn't take you boys, your father probably could. Why Saturday?" 

"Because Hermione is going to be there then," Ron explained. "And it would be nice to see her." 

Mrs. Weasley smiled. "I should have known! Well, I can see why you want to see her; you three haven't been able to get together all summer. And, it would be nice if she had a chance to meet Goku before you left for school." 

"I want to meet her," Goku said. 

"She wants to meet you, too," Harry said, glancing at the letter again. 

"Well then," Molly said with a small nod, "it's settled. I'll talk to your father tonight." She looked up at the clock. "And from the looks of that, it won't be long." The hand marked "Arthur" had moved from "Working" to "Coming Home." 

  


That evening, they told Mr. Weasley, who thought the plans for next Saturday were fine and agreed that he would be the one to escort them. Fred and George tried to get permission to tag along with them, but didn't meet with any success. Mrs. Weasley was not feeling particularly generous with the twins that evening, because they had blown a hole in the ceiling of their room, while "experimenting," right after Mr. Weasley had returned home. While Arthur and Molly had been able to fix the damage using magic, the commotion had disturbed the family ghoul and he had retaliated by banging pipes and making as much noise as possible. Goku had tried to talk to him, to explain it had been only an innocent accident, but the ghoul wasn't listening. He was determined that the Weasleys should pay for disturbing his fun. Everyone knew that it was going to be a rough sleeping night. 

"You don't deserve the chance to go to Diagon Alley and play," Molly stated flatly. 

"It isn't our fault the stupid ghoul is upset," George muttered darkly. 

"We need some stuff too," Fred chimed in. "We're completely out of Filibuster Fireworks." 

No sooner were the words out of his mouth, when a terrific clanging sounded from the attic. Mrs. Weasleys eyes flashed and her lips set in a firm line. "The last thing you boys need is fireworks," she snapped. 

Mr. Weasley tried to defend them. "Well dear, you know how boys are." 

"I never lit fireworks in _my_ room," Percy said. 

"No, you were too busy being perfect to have any fun," Fred said, rolling his eyes. 

"And polishing all your prefect badges," George added. "Not only did you never have any fun, you never _were_ much fun." 

Percy's nostrils flared. "I don't have to sit here and be insulted!" 

"Of course not, Percy, you're welcome to _stand_ here and be insulted, it doesn't matter much to us." 

Everyone but Percy and Mrs. Weasley tried desperately not to laugh at George's remark. "That was entirely uncalled for," Mrs. Weasley said. "George, apologize to your brother at once." 

George reached over and grabbed Fred's hand. "I'm so sorry," He said, feverently squeezing Fred's hand. 

"That's all right," Fred said, squeezing George's hand just as tightly and looking into his eyes. "I completely understand you're forgiven." 

"George!" Mrs. Weasleys voice was becoming shriller as she spoke. 

"Well, you never specified which one," George grinned. Above them, the Ghoul began slamming his chains on the floor to go along with the pipe rattling. 

"George Weasley, you say you're sorry to Percy; Right. This. Instant!" 

George looked at Percy. "I'm sorry you never were any fun." 

Molly said nothing, but you could almost feel the heat glaring from her. Above them, the Ghoul rattled the pipes more. "Oh, Mom, lighten up, I'm only having a bit of fun." George sighed and shook his head. 

"Look, Percy, I didn't mean to get you upset and I'm sorry for that." 

Percy hesitated while everyone just watched him. Then he slowly nodded. "Apology accepted," he finally said. 

Fred reached into his pocket and pulled out a bag of brightly wrapped caramels. "And just to show there are no hard feelings, you can have these." He pushed the bag over to Percy. 

Percy stared at the bag for a moment, and then scooped it up. "Thank you." 

George looked at his mother. "I said I was sorry and Fred gave him the last of our candy. Can't we go next Saturday?" 

Mrs. Weasley looked as if she was actually considering relenting for a moment, then the ghoul set up a terrific clatter in the attic. She shook her head firmly. "No." 

"That ghoul has a horrible sense of timing," Fred muttered. 

* * *

  


The Saturday they were leaving was drizzly, grey day, but Harry's mood hardly reflected the weather. He was looking forward to seeing Hermione again. The morning seemed to drag, as they were going to leave a little before lunchtime and meet Hermione and her folks for lunch at the Leaky Cauldron. Arthur Weasley was looking forward to seeing Hermione's parents again and having the chance to really chat with them. 

Just as they were getting ready to leave, Percy came flying down the stairs, and ran into the kitchen, where Fred and George were sitting at the kitchen table, working on something and doing lots of whispering. He looked at both of them and glared angrily. 

George looked up at him. "Err, something wrong, Percy?" 

Percy waved his hands around a bit, making threatening gestures. Then he grabbed a scroll that Fred had been writing on, as well as his quill and wrote frantically. 

YOU KNOW! The paper read. 

Mrs. Weasley was finishing up the "Floo cure" potion for Goku. She placed the steaming mug on the counter and turned around to look at them. "What is going on here?" she asked. 

Percy opened his mouth as if to scream, but instead, made a long, low… _croaking_ sound. 

Fred and George looked at each other and started laughing joyously. "It worked!" Fred cried. 

Mr. Weasley was standing by the fireplace with the pot of Floo powder in his hands. Ron, Harry, and Goku were with him. He looked for a moment as if he wanted to just disappear out of there. 

Percy's face was several shades of red. He opened his mouth again. "Crrroak… crrrrroak!" came out, a bit louder. 

"What did you boys do to Percy?" Mrs. Weasley asked, rushing over. 

"Croaking caramels!" George said, looking rather proud of himself. "Aw, Mom, don't worry about it, it'll only last a few minutes." 

"Five at the most," Fred said. 

Mrs. Weasley looked more than mad; she looked absolutely furious. "How many times have I told you boys to stop this? These jokes aren't funny!" 

George looked for a moment as if he was going to debate her judgment, then changed his mind and closed his mouth. 

Percy croaked more frantically, alternating his glare from one twin to the other. Mr. Weasley handed the pot of powder to Ron and went over to the counter and picked up the Floo sickness potion. He brought it over and handed it to Goku. "Drink it down quick," he suggested. 

Goku took the mug, but didn't drink it. "Why does Percy sound like a frog?" he asked, quite loudly. 

Ron and Harry were willing themselves not to laugh and also trying not to look at each other. Ron was looking at a spot on the wall intently and Harry was staring at his feet as if they were the most fascinating things he had ever seen. 

"He sounds like a frog, because Fred and George can't behave!" Mrs. Weasley snapped. "Arthur, what are we going to do about this?" 

"Er… I don't know, right now," Mr. Weasley said, looking very uncomfortable himself, as if perhaps he might even find this situation amusing. 

Ron nudged Goku. "Drink the potion!" he whispered. 

Goku was still looking at Percy and didn't hear him. "Do it again!" he requested, smiling. "Make the frog noise!" 

Percy whipped around and looked at him, his eyes flashing fire. "Crrroak!" 

"Oh, don't start on Goku," Fred said. "He didn't give you the caramels, we did. He's innocent." 

"Please, Goku, drink the potion," Harry whispered. 

Goku looked down at the cup as if he had forgotten about it then grinned. "Oh yeah!" He gulped it down quickly; closing his eyes, then wiped his mouth with his sleeve. "All done!" he announced proudly. 

"Very good!" Mr. Weasley said, rather quickly. "Well, I think I should go first so I can be there if something happens. He grabbed a handful of Floo powder and threw it into the fire. "Diagon Alley!" he shouted. 

As soon as he was gone, Mrs. Weasley looked at Ron. "You tell your father that we will discuss this when he gets home." 

"Whatever you say, Mom." 

The three boys wasted no time getting out of there. Harry went first, then Goku and finally Ron. When Goku arrived, the first thing he did was let out a whooping sound. "I don't feel sick at all!" he exclaimed. "That stuff works well!" 

Harry was looking around the Leaky Cauldron. Hermione was there, with her parents, who still looked a bit uncomfortable being surrounded by so many magic users. Hermione came rushing over when she saw him. 

"Harry, it's great to see you!" she exclaimed. 

Harry hadn't had the chance to introduce Hermione to Goku when Ron arrived. Ron wasted no time, but dragged Goku over. "Hermione, this is Goku!" 

Hermione smiled. "Yes, it's great to see you, too Ron." She turned to Goku and offered her hand. "Hi, I've heard a lot about you." 

Goku stared at her hand for a moment, as if puzzled, then grinned and took it, shaking it enthusiastically. "I've heard a lot about you too. I'm Goku. Ron and Harry tell me you're really smart. I sure hope we'll be friends, cause I'm gonna need smart friends to help me out. I've got so much catching up to do." 

When they stopped shaking hands, Harry noticed Hermione winced a bit and shook out her hand. "Er, I'll be glad to help you catch up." 

Goku looked at Hermione, grinning brightly as if he'd just met his idol. Hermione smiled back. Harry and Ron looked at each other and nodded. If they weren't best of friends, at least Hermione and Goku had decided the other was worth knowing. Since Harry and Ron had already decided Goku was a friend, it would be easier if he and Hermione liked each other as well. 

Lunch was a pleasant experience. Arthur was thrilled for the chance to talk to Hermione's parents and involved them in a spirited discussion about computers and, what Arthur called the "Innerknot." This gave Harry, Ron, and Hermione a lot of time to catch up with each other and to let Hermione and Goku get to know each other better. Although it was difficult to get Goku to stop eating and answer most of Hermione's questions. 

"What shopping do you have left?" Harry asked, when they were finishing up. 

"Not too much," Hermione said. "We came this morning and bought my books." She pointed over towards her parents, where several huge bags were resting. 

"Gee, that's a lot more books than we bough!" Ron said, eyeing the pile. 

"Well, some of it is just some reading for me," Hermione said. "I refilled my potion supplies and got some new robes. Do you three have any more shopping you need to do?" 

Goku grinned. "We have to get me an owl! My own owl!" 

"Well let's go to the magical creature's shop," she suggested. 

Arthur and Hermione's parents were having tea. They agreed to all meet back there in a couple of hours. 

"Good," Ron said as they were leaving. "That will give me time to pick up some stuff for Fred and George." He pulled a list out of his pocket. 

"Your mom wouldn't be happy if she knew you brought their list, would she?" Harry asked. 

"No, but my mom isn't paying me a sickle to pick up this stuff and Fred and George are," Ron said cheerfully. 

"I wanna get an owl!" Goku almost wailed. 

"Don't worry, Goku, owl first." Ron assured him. 

"So, do we want to try the Owl Emporium first or the magical creatures shop?" Hermione asked as they walked into Diagon Alley. 

"The Creatures shop is closer, let's try there first," Harry suggested. "If they don't have the right owl, we can go to the Emporium." 

The inside of the Magical Creatures shop was noisy with the sounds of several creatures scurrying and crying. The proprietor looked up when they came in and smiled to Hermione. "How's Crookshanks?" he asked. 

"He's doing well," Hermione said. "He's home right now. Too bad, if I had known we were coming here, I would have brought him." 

"I'm just glad he has a good home. I thought I'd have him forever." The clerk looked thoughtful for a moment, then blinked as if remembering he had a business to run. "So, what do you need today?" 

"I need an owl!" Goku announced cheerfully. "A cool owl, like Harry's or Ron's." 

"He thinks my owl is cool?" Ron muttered to Harry. Harry chuckled quietly. 

"Well, we have lots of owls, as you can see." The clerk waved his hands, indicating the many owls about the shop, some in cages, some just sitting on perches. Most of them looked either half or completely asleep. "Take a look around." 

As Goku wandered around the store, beaming, Harry, Ron and Hermione looked about the store. Harry decided to pick up some owl treats for Hedwig. He noted that they also sold owl treats in smaller sizes and pointed this out to Ron. "Not a bad idea," Ron muttered, getting some. Pig had been known to choke on normal-sized treats. 

"I didn't know there were all these different types of owls!" Goku exclaimed. He was right. Owls of almost every shape, size, and color were in the shop. "How will I ever decide?" 

"Let's just hope it doesn't take as long for him to find an owl as it did for a wand," Ron commented. Hermione looked at him, puzzled, so Ron explained about Goku's wand. 

"I've read about Shenlon before," Hermione commented. "I was pretty sure it was all just a legend. Interesting." 

"Of course you have," Ron mumbled. "You've read about _everything_." 

Goku was standing by a rather small, reddish brown owl. Even though it was daytime, the owl appeared to have woken up and was looking at him. "Hi, owl!" Goku said, reaching out and petting him. "I've seen owls like you before." 

"That's a Tengmalm's owl," The clerk said. "He's been here about a week. Very good owl. Small, but quite strong. Relatively fast too. He'd make a good companion to any wizard." 

The owl was nipping playfully at Goku's fingers, making him laugh. "I like him! Do you wanna come to Hogwarts with me?" 

"Then is this the one you like?" The clerk asked. 

Before Goku could answer, an enormous, jet-black owl that had been sleeping peacefully on a perch behind him opened his eyes and zoomed off the perch, landing on Goku's shoulder. "Hey!" Goku exclaimed. "What's this?" 

The black owl began tugging on Goku's hair and nipping gently at his ear. The tengmalm's owl ruffled his feathers, looking indignant. 

"Wow, he really seems to like me!" Goku commented, reaching up and stroking the black owl's beak. The owl kept nuzzling his ear as if he had found a life-long friend. 

"How strange," the clerk murmured. "I've had that one for a few months and no one has wanted him. He's been extremely obnoxious to anyone who's gone near him. The last person to look at him, well, he nipped his nose so hard he drew blood." He paused and held up a bandaged finger to Hermione, Harry, and Ron. "He's bit me a few times too. Rather hard. But he does seem to like your friend." 

"Maybe I should take this one instead," Goku mussed. "You want to go with me, Blackie?" 

The owl set up a terrific series of hoots and calls, flapping his wings frantically. The tengmalm's owl ruffled his feathers further, looking at the black owl with an expression of hatred and fear. 

Just then the door opened and someone hurried inside. Harry looked quickly, turned back to Goku, then looked back at the stranger, his eyes wide. 

He wasn't wearing a cloak, like most people in Diagon alley seemed to wear. Instead,he had on a pair of black leather pants, a royal blue shirt and a black leather vest. Black, dragon hide boots that went up to the knee completed the outfit. He had very long, jetblack hair, tied behind him in a ponytail. His eyes were black and piercing, and covered by a pair of thick-rimmed glasses, tinted red, with a tiny button on one side. He didn't bother to greet the clerk, but strode over to Goku and grabbed the black owl off his shoulder. "Gotcha," he said. His voice was low and sounded like a blending of so many accents that it would be impossible to tell where he came from originally. 

"Hey!" Goku sputtered. "What are you doing? That's _my_ owl!" 

"I don't think so," The man said. He was holding the black owl firmly in his hands. The owl began shrieking terribly and flapping his wings, in obvious distress. 

"Excuse me!" The clerk began, but the stranger just turned and headed outside with the owl. 

"Leave Blackie alone!" Goku shouted, chasing after him. Harry, Ron, and Hermione looked at each other, then followed, the store clerk right behind them. 

Outside, the stranger was still holding the owl. Goku was looking so furious; the very air around him seemed to crackle. "Put him back!" Goku shouted. "Or I'll make you sorry!" 

"Shut up, kid," The stranger said. "You can't have this owl, I don't care." 

"Sir, that's not your property," The clerk shouted. 

The stranger rolled his eyes. "This owl belongs to no one but me," He stated flatly. "I've been searching for him for the last six months." 

"You're hurting him!" Goku cried, lunging at the stranger. 

The man just laughed and ducked neatly out of Goku's way, still holding onto the owl. "Oh, I'm going to do a lot more than _hurt_ him. Kid, this isn't an owl." 

"Yes it is!" Goku screamed. 

"No it's not," The stranger disagreed. "And I'll prove it." Holding the owl firmly by the neck with one hand, he raised his other hand into the air, and bent back his wrist, looking as if he was going to catch something, falling from the sky. Instead, a ball of light began to form in his hand. "If he's a real owl, this won't hurt him, just stun him," the stranger continued. "Let's see." 

"Leave him alone!" Goku howled. 

"Sunspot!" The stranger shouted, and threw the ball of light at the owl. 

There was a blinding flash as the owl literally exploded. Everyone but the stranger covered his or her eyes. After a moment, Harry slowly opened his and looked. 

The owl was gone. No feathers, no blood, nothing but… a powder-like grey ash on the sleeve of the stranger's shirt. 

"Blackie!" Goku almost sobbed. "You killed him." 

"Ka-Kid," the stranger sighed. "How many times do I have to tell you, that wasn't an owl? A real owl wouldn't have disintegrated with a Sunspot, he just would have been temporarily blinded and stunned." 

Hermione was staring at the stranger with a glint in her eyes. "Well, if it wasn't an owl, what was it?" she asked. 

The stranger looked at her and for the first time, smiled. Harry shivered. The smile seemed cold and calculating. "Finally," he said. "Someone showing some brains." 

"You'll pay for that!" The clerk snapped. 

"Bill the ministry of magic," was the stranger's advice. "They're the ones that authorized me to find the SOB." 

"So, what was it?" Hermione repeated. She had moved closer to the stranger and was trying to examine the remaining ash on his arm. 

"You've got brains," the stranger said, holding out his arm so she could get a closer look. "I'll bet you can figure it out." 

"He shouldn't have killed him," Goku muttered darkly. Harry suspected that part of Goku wanted to burst into tears, but he was holding himself back. 

Hermione reached out and gathered a pinch of the ash, rubbing it between her forefinger and thumb. "Vampire," she whispered. "And an unregistered Animangus too." 

The stranger nodded. "Very good, I just wish I had a gold star for you." 

"H-how did you know?" Hermione asked. 

He shrugged. "I've been hunting him down for awhile. Jet-black owls aren't that common. Also, I can sense things about the types I hunt." 

The clerk still did not look happy. "How do I know you're working for the Ministry?" he demanded. 

The stranger reached into his pocket and pulled out a folding wallet. He flipped it open and began sorting through what appeared to be several identification cards. He finally found the one he was looking for and held it up so the clerk could see it. Harry tried to look also, to see what the stranger's name was, but he wasn't close enough. However, he could see that the stranger's picture looked bored and peeved as if indignant that someone had to look at him. However, it did seem to satisfy the manager. Or at least mollify him to the point where he stopped demanding the stranger pay for the owl. 

"How do I know that owl was a vampire?" Goku asked sulkily. "That owl really liked me." 

"The other owl liked you," Ron pointed out. "You can get that one." 

"Yeah, but how do I know Blackie wasn't an owl?" Goku repeated. 

Hermione's head tipped to one side as she continued to study the stranger. "That was a rather unique 'spell' you did. I've never seen anyone do a spell like that." 

"There's more to this so-called magic than the usual mumble with wands," The stranger said, ignoring Goku's question. 

"It was more like an energy blast of some type," Goku said. "Like that solar flare thingie." 

The stranger nodded to Goku. "A lot like that. But a bit smaller and more concentrated. But still, it wouldn't have hurt the owl _if_ he had been an owl." 

Hermione slowly nodded, still looking as if she had a lot of questions she wanted to ask, but felt that it might not be best. Harry sort-of admired her for asking the ones she had. The stranger looked as if he wasn't too fond of answering questions. 

"Well, things seem fine here. I'm leaving." The stranger started to walk off. 

"Hey!" Hermione called after him. "You never told us your name!" 

"No, I didn't." He didn't even turn around, but kept walking. "I'll see you kids around soon enough, I suppose." With those parting words, he walked into a crowd of people and disappeared from sight. 

"He's very… interesting." Hermione commented. 

"That's one way to describe him," Harry said, a wry grin crossing his lips. 

The shopkeeper sighed. "I'll have to inform the registry. They won't pay what the owl was really worth, but at least it will be something." He walked back into the shop. The four of them followed. 

Goku went back to the tengmalm's owl, who seemed very glad to see him again, especially without the "Blackie" on his shoulder. "Do you want to go with me?" Goku whispered, looking around as if he were afraid the stranger would show up again and blow up this owl. 

The owl reached up and nipped gently at his hair. "Okay then," Goku said, grinning. "I'll take you." 

As they were leaving the shop, Goku was cooing to his new owl. "Good Tengmalm's, I'm glad you want to come with me." 

As they were heading to the joke shop to fill Fred and George's list, Ron looked at Harry. "Have you noticed that every time we take Goku shopping, weird stuff happens?" 

Harry nodded. "Yeah. It does seem that way." 

"Well, imagine how this year at school is going to be," Ron continued. "With Goku around, things might get weirder than usual." 

Harry thought for a moment about his past three years at Hogwarts and tried not to groan. "I was hoping I might get one normal year and this one might be it. Thank you." 

Ron grinned. "You're welcome." 

_End Chapter Five._

  


Author's notes: There are two wonderful illustration to this story, One by (sabrebabe@chartermi.net) and the other by Indigo (indigo@indigosky.net) They can be found here: http://doghouse.la.ca.us/~darqstar/otherfandoms/hpdbz/graphics/hpdbz-quidditch.html and http://doghouse.la.ca.us/~darqstar/otherfandoms/hpdbz/graphics/strangeowl.html Check it out. If you like them, email the artists and let them know, okay? 


	7. The Journey To Hogwarts

_Chapter Six_  
**The Journey to Hogwarts**

  


  


Although Harry would have liked summer to last a little longer, he wasn't the least surprised that it seemed, instead, to fly by. Barely had Goku gotten his owl, and it was time to head back. Harry wasn't too terribly upset though. He rather enjoyed going to Hogwarts. 

Again, the ministry sent a car to take them to London. When they got to the train station, they had to explain to Goku how one got to platform 9 ¾. Goku seemed to grasp the concept without fear. "I just run into the wall?" 

Mrs. Weasley nodded. "But you won't really run into the wall, you'll see. The most important thing is not to be afraid."

"But I'm not afraid," Goku said, eagerly. "The worst thing that'll happen is that I'll hit the wall!"

Despite Goku's assurance, Mrs. Weasley decided to have Fred and George go first. When it came his turn, Goku didn't even hesitate, but went right into the wall and disappeared.

Harry was becoming much better at this himself, and slid in through the wall to platform 9 ¾ without any problem. Ron joined him shortly as did Mr. and Mrs. Weasley.

Harry looked around the crowded platform as students were greeting each other after the long summer break and parents were saying good-bye. Hermione came running up and soon enough, she, Goku, Harry, and Ron were finding a nice compartment in the latter half of the train and stowing their luggage. Unable to carry it all, Harry had left his book bag outside. He would bring it in after they all said good-bye. 

They rushed out of the train. Mrs. Weasley was hugging Fred and George, admonishing them to behave themselves this year. When she saw Ron, she let them go and went to hug him. "You behave yourself too," she warned him. "I don't want to see any owls coming from Hogwarts with a note about you, young man." 

"What if the note said I'd been made Head Boy?" Ron asked, his eyes gleaming.

"That would be different." 

She and Mr. Weasley said good-bye to all of them. The whistle blew to announce the train was leaving in five minutes. Harry slipped away from everyone for a moment, to gather up his book bag. It was still in the luggage cart, which had somehow managed to roll away from the Weasleys and over towards the entrance to the platform, as if trying to get back. 

As he reached out for his book bag, he saw an older man and younger boy, standing off towards the corner. Not quite meaning to, Harry did a double take at the young man. He appeared to be about Harry's age, and wearing a pair of jeans and a purple shirt that looked so new they still had faint traces of wrinkles from their packaging. But that wasn't the most unusual thing about him. The unusual thing was that the young man appeared to be rather short, but made up for some of his lack of height by having fairly long hair that seemed to almost stick straight up from his head, and peaking at the top, giving the appearance that someone had stuck a black artichoke upon his head. He had dark, piercing eyes and a small, sharply pointed nose. His lips were curled in an obvious sneer and his arms were folded across his chest. Harry had never seen him at Hogwarts before and even though he was short, Harry knew he was too old to be a first year student.

The older gentleman with him, was much taller, much more heavyset, and looked absolutely nothing like the boy did. He was looking at the boy with an expression that almost seemed fearful. "That was the whistle," he said. "You'll have to get aboard soon."

"I know," the boy said, shrugging. "Don't worry, I'll make it."

"Are you set with everything?" The man asked him.

"Yes." The boy rolled his eyes. "We went over this about twenty times on the way here, if I recall. Trust me. I'm not a scatterbrain like you are. I have everything, I know everything."

"I just-just want to make sure," the man stammered. 

Harry grabbed his book bag off the luggage cart. As he did, the strange boy looked over at him, with a cold, disinterested expression, as if Harry were some sort of nasty insect. Harry held up his book bag, as if to let him know that he hadn't deliberately been listening, but only coming to fetch what was his and walked away. As he was heading back to the train, he could hear a bit more of their conversation.

"I-I'm really proud of you. I-I couldn't be more proud of you if you were my flesh and blood," the older man was saying.

"Which, thank god, I'm not," the boy snapped. He muttered something else, but Harry couldn't hear that part.

"Be careful!" the man admonished. "This won't be easy for you, but you're not stupid by any means. And we've caught you up on quite a bit. So, you shouldn't have a problem."

"I expect no problems at all," The boy said, airily, as if vaguely insulted the man would even imply there was one. 

"We-we'd better head for the train," the man said.

Harry hurried on ahead. Ron and the others had already boarded. He hopped aboard and turned to look. The strangers were approaching the train. As he hurried to the compartment where the other three were waiting for him, he could hear them outside, talking loudly.

"Take care son, I'll see you next summer!" The man sounded louder and more cheerful than he had when they were talking alone.

"Yeah, I'll see you later… father." The boy's voice was more cheerful as well, but the word father had a definite sneering tone to it. 

_Very odd_, Harry thought as he made his way to the compartment. Obviously, they weren't father and son, yet they were pretending to be. Why? 

* * *

He thought about telling Ron, Hermione, and Goku about it, but when he opened the door to the compartment, all hell seemed to have broken lose inside. Goku had let his owl (who he had named Jouchi) out of the cage. Even though it was daylight and Jouchi should be sleeping, he seemed to have decided that it would be more fun to fly around the tiny compartment and do a lot of hooting. Ron, Goku, and Hermione were trying to catch him, and he was having a wonderful time trying to evade them. Pig had woken up and was squawking furiously in his cage, just to make things more interesting.

"Goku, it would be easier if you would just let me stun him!" Hermione said, holding up her wand.

"No!" Goku roared, as he leaped in the air trying to catch the owl. "We can catch him the old-fashioned way. We don't need to put a spell on him!" 

Jouchi swooped out of Goku's way and came charging towards the door, which Harry had opened to enter. Harry quickly leaped up and grabbed for him, managing to get his hand around his legs. "I've got him!" 

"All right!" Ron cheered. "Quick, get him in his cage, now!" 

"I'll take him!" Goku ran over to Harry. "Please?" 

Harry handed the owl back to Goku, who took him gently and put him back in his cage. "I guess it's not a good idea to let you out till we get to the school," he said, as he shut the door. "Sorry, Jouchi."

Jouchi flapped his wings a couple of times, then settled down and tucked his head under his wing. 

"Do me a favor Goku, and don't do that again," Ron said, slumping in his seat. "That owl has as much energy as you do."

"Yeah, he's pretty lively!" Goku agreed with a happy grin as he flopped down next to Hermione. 

The train whistle blasted sharply again, and the train speed off. Harry sat down next to Ron, settling himself in. When the train was well on its way, Ron pulled out a deck of cards. "Exploding Snap anyone?"

They played for a while. Even though Harry and Ron had taught Goku how to play over the summer, he still hadn't quite grasped it and kept losing, but he accepted defeat cheerfully. But, after awhile, Harry and Ron began discussing Quidditch. Hermione decided to read one of her books. Goku amused himself by looking outside the window and counting trees. When the witch with the cart came around, Goku bought everything on it and had everyone else help him bring it all inside.

"Didn't leave much for us, did you?" Hermione commented.

"Aw, help yourselves," Goku said, grinning. "I know I'll be able to eat anything you guys won't want."

"I'll bet they have more stuff in the back," Ron said, as he helped himself to the Cauldron cakes. 

As they were enjoying their feast, someone walked by their compartment, talking loudly. 

"Well, it's strange you know, he never even told us he was married," The voice was saying. Harry immediately recognized it to belong to one of his least favorite people, VincentCrabbe. 

"Yeah, that is strange," another voice said. Harry recognized it as another of his least favorite people, Gregory Goyle. 

"Two down," Ron whispered to Harry. "One to go."

"Maybe he wasn't," A third voice said, and Harry could almost see the smirk on his arrogant little face. Yes, the voice belonged to the top of the list of his least favorite folks, Draco Malfoy. "You don't have to be married to have a kid, Crabbe."

"Really?" Goyle asked, sounding honestly puzzled. 

"I didn't-" Crabbe began, and then stopped. "Well, I guess you could have a kid without being married." He sounded a bit doubtful about this. 

Harry, Ron, and Hermione looked at each other and tried not to burst into laughter. Crabbe and Goyle weren't exactly known for their sparkling brilliance. 

"Of course you can," Draco said, managing to sound both weary and proud to be superior at the same time. "Besides, it doesn't really matter much anyways, seeing's his mother is dead and all such." 

_The boy with the weird hair!_ Harry thought. _The one I saw outside the train. I'll bet they're talking about him._ Now that he was thinking about it, the man who had been with the boy had looked a bit like VincentCrabbe, at least the build and hair color. He considered mentioning this to his friends, but once again, was distracted as the door to the compartment opened.

"Well, well, what do we have here?" Draco's lips were curled in their usual smirk, which did nothing to help his appearance. With his skim-milk complexion and pale blond hair, Draco always looked as if he had died a bit ago, but just didn't know when to fall down.

"Uninvited guests, obviously," Hermione answered snappishly and glared at him. 

Draco looked at her with cold distain. "Wow, look guys," he said, nudging Crabbe and Goyle. "Granger is actually doing something without having her nose in a book. We thought that was impossible."

Harry could feel Ron stiffening next to him. "Go away, Draco," Ron growled.

"Is that the best you can do?" Draco taunted. He looked over at the half-eaten cauldron cake Ron held in his hand. "Wow, Weasley, I'm surprised you haven't wolfed that down. Probably the first decent meal you've had since you left school last year." 

Dutifully, Vincent and Gregory laughed. Ron turned red up to his ears. 

"No, Ron has had lots of decent meals," Goku said, looking at the three boys with a puzzled expression. "His mom is an excellent cook. I know, I stayed with him all summer!"

Draco stared at Goku for a moment in a bit of shock, as if the last thing he was expecting was someone to answer his sarcastic question with open honesty. "Who are you?"

"I'm Goku!" He rose to his feet and offered his hand.

Draco ignored Goku's outstretched hand and looked back to Ron. "What's this Weasley, your folks taking in orphans to help make ends meet? I hear the ministry will pay to take in wizard children."

"But not to take care of you, which is why your parents were forced to raise you," Harry snapped. "Otherwise, they would have given you up in a second." 

Malfoy snorted. "At least my folks are alive, Potter. And even if they weren't, I'd have lots of wizard families I could stay at. I wouldn't have to go live at some muggle's house with folks that hate my guts." 

"Harry stayed with us for the last part of the summer," Goku said, still looking a little confused as if he wasn't sure why these three strangers were saying mean things to his friends. "We had lots of fun." 

"No one asked you to talk," Crabbe said, which was high wit, coming from him.

"No one said I couldn't," Goku retorted, his eyes beginning to narrow. "And I don't think you guys are very nice!"

Malfoy and his henchmen laughed as if Goku's comment was the funniest thing they heard in months. "Where did you find this one?" Draco asked, to no one in particular. "Under a rock?" 

"I came from Kame's island, thank you," Goku said, his eyes getting narrower and narrower, his nostrils beginning to flare. "Not from under any rock. And I don't think I like you." 

"Aw, that hurts my feelings so much," Draco sneered. 

Goyle looked over at Goku, his eyes looking about as bright as wood. "Kiss my butt!" he suggested. 

"Oooh, did you blow a gasket, thinking of that snappy comeback?" Ron taunted, rising to his feet.

"I won't kiss your butt," Goku said, moving towards the boys, very slowly. "But I'll be more than happy to kick it, if that's what you want."

Harry stared at Goku in amazement. Somehow, Goku seemed… different. Not just because he was angry, he'd been angry when "Blackie" had been destroyed, but he was still Goku. This was different. He no longer looked like the happy-go-lucky kid he usually did. The friendly, but not exactly brilliant expression he normally wore was gone. In its place was one of fury, and, Harry would swear, extreme intelligence, as there was a brilliant young man inside this child, that only came out when provoked. 

"Oh, we're so scared!" Draco mocked, but his voice didn't sound nearly as confident as the words. Crabbe and Goyle were husky young men, but compared to Goku, they looked positively weak. 

"You should be," Goku said, still advancing towards them. "I don't like it when people make fun of my friends and that's all you've been doing since you came here."

"So, whatcha gonna do about it?" Malfoy taunted.

Hermione leaped to her feet and grabbed onto Goku's arm, something Harry was debating if he should do himself. "Don't!" she cried out. "Goku, they aren't worth it."

Goku pulled his arm away, quickly. Although he had done it quite easily, Harry noticed Hermione wince. She didn't let that faze her, but grabbed on again. "Goku, listen to me, if you fight with them and you're caught, you can be expelled!"

Harry jumped up and grabbed Goku's other arm. "She's right, Goku. You don't want to be suspended before you even start!" 

Goku didn't fight to get away from them, but he did keep his eyes firmly on Malfoy's. He spoke to him in a very low, even tone. "It would be best if you and your friends left, Right. Now."

Ron was already pulling out his wand. Harry and Hermione looked at each other, knowing that if Goku decided to, he could have thrown them off him like houseflies. 

"Who's gonna make u--" Goyle began, but was interrupted by Draco.

"Aw, who wants to hang with you losers, anyway?" He sneered. "C'mon, let's go."

Harry noted that they left the compartment a lot quicker than they had sauntered in. Once the shut the door behind them, Harry and Hermione let go of Goku. Goku stared at the door, as if willing them to come back inside.

"You've now met Draco Malfoy and his ugly little shadows, Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle," Ron commented, as he put his wand away. "Don't you feel honored?"

"I don't like them," Goku said, his eyes still narrowed, still looking so very…different from normal. "I don't like them at all."

"Join the club," Harry muttered. "And I wouldn't worry too much about that, Goku, they probably don't like you much either."

Goku shrugged as if to say that what they thought of him had little to do in this. "They'd better watch their step," he said. "Muten Roshi taught me it's not right to start fights, but if they want to start one first, I'll be more than happy to finish it." 

"Oh, they probably won't start a physical fight with you," Hermione assured him. "Not their style." 

"They're more like houseflies the size of ponies," Ron agreed. "A lot of buzzing, but little action. Malfoy is a little too fond of casting spells when your back is turned, but I don't think Crabbe and Goyle are even sure how to hold their wands, never mind use them."

"They really aren't worth the trouble," Harry said, although he wondered how true that was. Dudley was bad, but Draco made Dudley look tame. 

"Sometimes not all fights are physical," Goku said, his eyes still fixed on the door to the compartment. "And I don't like anyone who picks on my friends."

"It's okay, Goku," Hermione said. "I'd be more afraid of them if they were friendly with us."

"Yeah, imagine if we had to be buddies?" Ron asked. "Oh, cripes, we'd end up having asking them to dance with us at the winter ball!"

"Dibs on Goyle," Harry said, more to break the tension than anything else. "He's so dreamy." 

Ron and Hermione burst out laughing. Goku looked at him, his eyes widening to their normal state, then he laughed too. There seemed to be a brief flash of something, like a bright light hitting his eyes and suddenly, he was the same Goku he'd known for the last part of the summer. 

"Boy, I'm glad I can't dance!" Goku said.

"I can't dance either," Harry confessed.

"Me either," Ron chimed in. 

Maybe it was that Malfoy and his gang were gone, taking the tension with them, or maybe it was because all of them had seen the change in Goku, and were relieved to see he was back to his old self, but all four of them began laughing as if this were the funniest thing that had ever happened to them.

"What's so funny?" Goku asked, between bouts of laughter.

"I have no idea," Hermione admitted. Which made them all laugh even harder. 

  


End Chapter Six 

  


Author's notes: There are two wonderful illustration to this story, One by (sabrebabe@chartermi.net) and the other by Indigo (indigo@indigosky.net) They can be found here: http://doghouse.la.ca.us/~darqstar/otherfandoms/hpdbz/graphics/hp-goku.html.html and http://doghouse.la.ca.us/~darqstar/otherfandoms/hpdbz/graphics/vegetatrain.html Check it out. If you like them, email the artists and let them know, okay? 

Further notes: I just want to thank everyone who has taken the time to write a review. Your support and encouragement mean more than words can say. When I started this project, I was convinced no one would read it, that crossing over DBZ with Harry Potter would just be too weird for folks. 

I've tried to email everyone who has written a review, but some of you didn't leave email addresses. If you have questions, either leave your email address with the review, or write to me, thedarqstar@wmconnect.com I refuse to answer questions that might give away the entire plot, but I will write. 

Again, thanks and Warmest Wishes 

Darqstar 


	8. The Sorting And The New Professor

_Chapter Seven_  
**The Sorting And The New Professor**

  


  


  
When it was announced that the train would be pulling into the Hogsmeade station in five minutes, everyone rushed to change into their robes. Harry and Ron helped Goku get his on correctly, after he tried to put it on backwards. When the train finally pulled into the station, the four of them gathered their things slowly, waiting for the majority of the students to leave, so the aisles wouldn't be so crowded.

Finally, they felt it was all right for them to leave their compartment and disembark. As they stepped off the train, Harry immediately saw his old friend Hagrid at the other end of the platform, motioning to some of the students. "Firs' years!" he called out, "Firs' years this way!" A band of younger, rather terrified looking students were crowded around him, looking as if they weren't at all sure they wanted to be where they were at all. Suddenly the comforts of home seemed very far away as they were being prepared for the traditional boat ride across the lake all first year students had to take.

When Harry saw that Hagrid was looking his way, he gave a wave. Hagrid returned it then saw Goku and called over to him, "Hey!"

Goku was looking around in fascination and didn't even seem to hear Hagrid, till Harry brought it to his attention. Then he turned to him, grinning "Yes?" he called out.

"Ye'r Goku, right?" Without waiting for an answer, Hagrid continued. "Ye hav 'ta come wit' th firs' years."

"But I'm not a first year!" Goku politely shouted back, or at least as politely as one could shout. "I'm a transfer, I'm going to be a fourth year student, just like these guys!" He indicated Ron, Harry, and Hermione. "Well, these two guys and one girl!" he added.

"Doesn' matter," Hagrid called, shaking his head. "Ye still 'ave t'be sorted an' such. Dumbledore said ye were t'come on the boat wit' th' others!" 

"I'm not surprised," Hermione said. "You don't have a house yet."

"Well, if Dumbledore says I should go, then I will." Goku grinned. "I'll see you guys later!" He ran over to join Hagrid and the other first year students. But unlike the first years, Goku was positively beaming. 

"I wonder what house he'll be put in," Harry pondered out loud as the three of them headed for the carriages, which as usual, were drawn by invisible horses.

"Not Slytherin," Ron said quickly.

"No, definitely not Slytherin," Harry agreed. He, Ron, and Goku had discussed this many times over the summer and never drew a conclusion, although they had narrowed it down a bit.

"I don't think he's a Ravenclaw either," Hermione said, as they climbed into one of the carriages. 

Ron and Harry suppressed smiles. It was obvious that while Goku was many things, he didn't have the brains or the cleverness usually sought after by the Ravenclaw house. Although, if Goku always looked the way he had when he was facing down Malfoy and his cronies, they might consider it. He had seemed very intelligent then. And, capable of enough viciousness that maybe even Slytherin would consider him. The thought of Goku in Slytherin gave Harry a shivery, prickly feeling, almost as if someone took an icicle and ran it up his spine. How would the Slytherin house affect someone so wide-eyed and fascinated with everything? 

"That leaves Gryffindor and Hufflepuff," Hermione continued, as the carriage began moving, taking them to Hogwarts. "From what you wrote about him this summer and all such, I would have said he'd be a Hufflepuff. But after the train, the way he stood up for all of us, he might do well in Gryffendor." 

"Who knows for sure?" Ron said, shrugging. "By all rights, you should be in Ravenclaw, Hermione, you're the smartest kid in the school. But you ended up in Gryffindor."

"I've wondered about that," Hermione admitted. "I mean, I think I have a lot of good Gryffendor qualities too, but intellectually, I should have been put in Ravenclaw. And the only thing I can think of is that I wanted to go into Gryffindor." 

Harry had spent a lot of time his second year wondering about that himself. The sorting hat (which was no ordinary hat at all, but a hat with magical intelligence) had told him he would have been a great Slytherin, but Harry hadn't wanted any part of it, and instead was placed in Gryffindor. He did know now that he belonged there, but sometimes he wondered if the hat really just mimicked what the wearer wanted to hear. "Maybe," He thought, "If you admire the qualities of one house enough, the hat will put you there cause it knows that you'll develop them." 

"That could be true," Hermione agreed, which startled Harry a bit, till he realized he must have been saying his thoughts out loud. 

The carriage rode through the tall iron gates and drove up to the entryway. When the carriage came to a stop, Harry was glad to get out and stretch his legs. And, to get away from the smell of moldy straw that seemed to cling inside the carriages. 

As they walked inside the entryway, Harry half expected someone to call him out of the group. So far, he hadn't made it to a single sorting ceremony other than his own. In his second year he and Ron ended up traveling here in the Weasleys' flying car, because of trouble boarding the train. Last year, an incident with Dementors had caused him to be brought to Professor McGonagall's office to see if he was all right. Even though he knew that nothing had happened so far this year to warrant alarm, he still didn't breathe a sigh of relief until he was safely inside the Great Hall and he was admiring the enchanted ceiling that sparkled with thousands of tiny stars. 

The rest of the hall looked cheerful and inviting, decorated for the beginning of the term feast. Golden plates and goblets twinkled and gleamed in the light from hundreds of candles hovering in midair over the tables. The four house tables were already beginning to fill with other students and Harry had this warm, comfortable feeling of truly coming home as he, Ron, and Hermione hurried over to greet old friends and find a place. 

"Hey," Ron finally said, when they were seated. "Did anyone see Neville on the train? I don't remember seeing him anywhere, and he's not here."

Harry shook his head. Now that Ron had mentioned it, he realized he was right. Harry hadn't seen the round-faced Neville anywhere yet. "He might be coming in soon," Harry said. "We probably just missed seeing him."

"No, you didn't," Hermione said, her voice strangely quiet. "He's not coming to Hogwarts this year."

"What?" Harry and Ron both cried out together in shock. Neville was a fellow Gryffindor and in the same year as them. While he wasn't as close to them as the three of them were to each other, he was still a friend. 

"You're joking, aren't you?" Ron asked.

Hermione shook her head. "No, I got an owl from him over the summer telling me about it."

"You and Neville write each other?" Ron asked, his voice sounding a little strained. 

"Yes," Hermione said in a matter-of-fact voice. "He would have written you too, if you'd only bothered to ask him."

"Why isn't he coming back to Hogwarts?" Harry asked, before Ron and Hermione could go off on one of their famous arguing sessions. 

Hermione sighed. "His grandmother is worried that he's falling too far behind. She's mostly worried that Hogwarts is too.. hard for him now."

Harry and Ron looked at each other and shrugged. It was well known around Hogwarts that try as he might, Neville just wasn't much good as a wizard. In their second year, he had commented once that he was practically a squib (person of magic blood, but with no magic ability) and while they had tried to comfort him, no one rushed too hard to disagree. "So what's going to happen to him?" Harry asked. 

"His grandmother has hired private tutors to help him," Hermione said. "He'll stay at home and devote more time to magic studies and if he's caught up to where we are by the end of the year, he'll be able to come back in his fifth year."

"Poor guy," Ron murmured. "We've all seen his grandmother, and I wouldn't want to mess with her. She'll probably make him study sixteen hours a day."

Harry privately agreed, but Hermione sniffed. "It's not that bad. And from what Neville told me, she's hired some very competent wizards to help him. I wouldn't mind having a chance to study one-on-one with some of the best."

"He can't have the best, the best are already teaching here at Hogwarts," Ron said loyally. 

"Except for the Defense Against The Dark Arts," Harry said. "We've had some bad ones in this lot."

"True enough," Hermione agreed. "Let's hope this year will be different. I have a feeling we're getting a decent teacher from reading the book he assigned."

Harry looked over at the staff table to see if the new professor was sitting there. Harry recognized everyone sitting there. "Either he's not here or Dumbledore has given in and given the job to Snape."

Ron's eyes widened. "Don't even joke like that, Harry. I can barely stand the man for potions, I don't need him for another class too." 

"I don't think Dumbledore will allow him to do both," Hermione said, also studying the staff table. "So even if he did get the job, we'd then have to get another potions teacher."

"I think we should get a new Potions and Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, and toss Snape in his dungeon and lock it up for good," Ron suggested. "Then Hogwarts might be perfect!"

Harry had to admit, that idea sounded rather appealing. To say Snape disliked Harry would be a gross understatement. To say Snape loathed him with a fierce passion was closer to the truth. And Harry returned the feelings tenfold. 

Just as Harry's stomach was giving him a growling reminder that the cauldron cakes and other goodies he'd eaten on the train had been a few hours ago, the huge doors into the Great Hall opened and Professor McGonagall marched inside, leading the first years with her. Goku was among them; still looking cheerful, as if he thought the boat ride was a wonderful thing, even if he did look a bit damp and chilled. There was another older boy standing behind him, whom Harry recognized him by the hair as the boy from the train station. The one he thought Crabbe had have been talking about when he, Goyle and Malfoy were talking outside Harry's train compartment. Unlike Goku, this boy looked as if the boat ride had been a total insult to him. He stared straight ahead, his arms folded across his face. There was something in his manner that made Harry think he half expected someone to roll out a red carpet, so he wouldn't have to tread the floor like the rest of them did. 

The other first years were looking subdued and frightened. Harry wondered if they had heard nasty tales about the sorting process. Ron had been terrified in his first year; Fred had told him he'd have to wrestle a troll. It seemed to almost be tradition in Hogwarts for older students not to tell brothers and sisters the real truth when it came to sorting. While the first years were looking at their feet and trying not to gaze around them, Goku was looking all over the place. When he saw Harry, Ron, and Hermione, his grin widened. "Hi guys!" he shouted, "We maaaade it!" 

The three of them grinned and waved back. 

Professor McGonagall marched up to the front and set up a three-legged stool. On top of that, she put a worn, well-patched old pointed hat with a tear just above the brim. The room became unearthly quiet as everyone stared at the hat. After a moment, the brim opened like a tiny mouth and began to sing: 

_ Long ago when the world was newer  
Were four wizards with a vision  
They met upon this very sight  
And made a great decision.  
For among all the magic users  
There was a deep concern  
"We need to build a place," They said  
Where young wizards and witches may learn!  
They built the mighty Hogwarts school  
To fulfill this important need  
And build four houses for the students  
Where all had a chance to succeed.  
In Ravenclaw the cleverest   
Found their place to gather.  
To Gryffindor the brave of heart  
Were ones who truly mattered.  
In Slytherin's house came all of those  
Of cunning thought and deed.  
To Hufflepuff only the loyal and hard working  
Would have a chance to succeed.  
For many years they picked their students  
Till the four were old and grey  
Then realized something must be done  
When they would go away.   
They thought about what would be best  
And argued for many a day  
Then Gryffindor took me off his head  
And is rumored then to say  
"We use our brains to pick the best,  
But our brains won't be here forever  
Unless we put some of ourselves in my hat!"  
And they began to work together.  
Thus I was born and still I am  
Though they have long since gone  
I've done the job for many a year  
Deciding where all belong  
So step right up and don't be shy  
You don't have to feel alone  
I'll tell you what you need to know  
And where you will call home.   
_

When the hat finished, everyone applauded but the stranger with the unusual hair. He just scowled as if being forced to listen to a singing hat was a terrific waste of time; time he could have put to much better uses. Goku cheered the most enthusiastically. "A singing hat!" he shouted, looking over at Harry. "Did you know the hat could sing? Wow, a singing hat!" 

Everyone in the hall had their eyes on Goku, and then Harry, whose face flushed a brilliant scarlet at having all this attention drawn to him. However, Goku was looking so happy and delighted, Harry didn't have the heart to not answer. "Yes," he said, as quiet as he could, but still enough to be heard. "I knew the hat could sing." 

"Well, why didn't you tell me about that?" Goku asked.

Professor McGonagall cleared her throat loudly and stared at Goku. "If you are finished, I would like to speak."

Goku grinned. "Fine by me, I'm done."

She looked at Goku, her lips pursed, but Harry would have sworn there was a faint sparkle in her eyes as well. Some of the first years looked slightly more relaxed as well. Professor McGonagall opened up a long scroll. "As I call out your names, you will come forward to be sorted!" 

"Ackerly, Stewart." 

A young boy ran up and pulled the hat over his head. The hat hesitated briefly then announced, "RAVENCLAW!"

The Ravenclaw table cheered as Steward ran to join them.

"Baddock, Malcolm!"

The boy with the strange hair whipped around suddenly, as if he expected to see someone. When he saw the young, sandy haired boy heading for the stool, he breathed a sigh of relief. Obviously, Malcom wasn't what he expected, and Harry concluded that was probably a good thing. 

"SLYTHERIN!"

"Banstone, Eleanor!"

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

"Cauldwell, Owen!"

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

"Two puffs in a row," Ron whispered into Harry's ear. Harry put his hand over his mouth to stifle the sudden chuckle. 

"Crabbe, Vegeta!"

Not surprising at all to Harry, the young man with the unusual hair stepped forward, his lips curled into a sneer.

"He's a _Crabbe_," Ron whispered. "And just look at him. If you fed him boiling water, he'd probably spit ice cubes. Wanna take a bet where he'll end up?"

Harry shook his head. "No bets needed."

Vegeta didn't rush, or hesitate. Walking tall and proud, he walked up to the stool. Professor McGonagall motioned to the stool, holding the hat. He shook his head and before she could say anything, he took the hat from her and standing up, drew it over his head. 

"SLYTHERIN!" The hat shouted.

"Tell us something we didn't know," Ron whispered. Harry snickered. 

Vegeta whipped of the hat as if he couldn't get rid of it fast enough, and handed it back to Professor McGonagall, who did not look happy at the whole situation. He then walked regally over to the Slytherin table, as if he was doing them an enormous favor by being in their house. Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle came forward to congratulate him. "Good job!" Draco said, slapping him on the back.

Vegeta's eyes narrowed and he stared at Draco as if trying to kill him with a look. "I'll let that go, this time," he snapped, "but don't touch me again, got it?" 

Draco started to say something, but as he was looking at Vegeta's face, something happened in his own, that Harry could see. Vegeta rattled Malfoy in much the same fashion Goku had when they were all on the train. Draco swallowed hard. "Whatever you say," he said, trying to sound as if he couldn't care less.

"That's right." Vegeta nodded as if Draco was a rather stupid puppy who managed to perform an easy trick. He sat down in an empty seat, his arms crossed over his chest. 

Harry noticed that even the other Slytherins around him shifted in their chairs as if they weren't sure they wanted to be close to their new, "brother."

Meanwhile, the sorting continued. Dennis Creevey was made the first Gryffindor of the year, which made Colin very happy. And got young Dennis so excited that he almost forget to return the hat in his haste to join his brother. 

Harry's stomach growled again. Ron looked at him and nodded. "I sure hope this doesn't take all night. I'm starving too." 

Madley, Lara was made a Hufflepuff. McDonald, Natalie became the next Gryffindor. Harry watched the line get smaller. 

"Prichard, Graham!"

"SLYTHERIN!"

"Quirk, Orla!"

"RAVENCLAW!" 

The doors into the hall burst opened and someone strode into the hall, mindless of the ceremony taking place. Hermione turned to look first, then kicked Harry under the table. "Look!" she said, pointing. 

Harry took his attention away from "Randolph, Roberts" sorting and looked towards the door. A man was coming in, wearing a pair of leather pants and dragon hide boots, but instead of a cloak, he wore a long, black trench coat. Harry recognized him immediately. "It's the guy from the creature shop!"

Ron turned to look as well. "Wow! It is!"

The stranger said nothing, merely moved and walked over to the staff table as if he had no clue that he was interrupting anything, and even if he had known, he wouldn't have cared. Harry watched as he and Dumbledore greeted each other, then he sat down. 

"Wow, I wonder what he's doing here?" Ron asked.

"Don't be dense," Hermione whispered, looking at the stranger. "It's obvious."

"It is?"

Hermione sighed and rolled her eyes. "I'll bet he's the new Defense Against The Dark Art teacher." 

Harry had been thinking the very same thing. It was obvious, by the way he handled the owl/vampire that he had some experience with Dark Arts and those who practiced them. "I wonder if he'll be difficult," he whispered.

The three of them looked at the stranger. Being inside Hogwarts hadn't seemed to improve his disposition. Harry had the distinct impression he and Ron had better work hard in his class. He looked like he would tolerate nothing else.

"Son, Goku!" 

They turned their attention back to the sorting. Goku ran up to the stool and sat, eager as a puppy. "Go ahead!" 

The hat was placed on his head. There was silence, and then Goku spoke. "Wow, you can speak when I'm wearing you too!" he cried. "This is so great. I've never met a singing and talking hat."

More silence until finally the hat spoke, but not to announce his house. Instead, the hat said, "Will you stop it? I can't tell where you belong if you keep insisting on thinking silly questions to me!"

"I'm sorry!" Goku chirped, deciding that since the hat was speaking out loud, he should too. "But I-I've never talked to a hat before. I have so many questions!"

Almost everyone was smiling and a few people were chuckling. The only ones who didn't seem at all amused by this exchange were Vegeta, the new teacher, and Snape. Harry could see the anger in Snape eyes and was glad to see that for once, it wasn't directed at him. 

"Enough!" The hat ordered sternly. "Be still!"

"Okay!" Goku stopped talking, but continued to fidget on the stool.

The hat seemed to forget that it was speaking out loud and continued in the same way. "You're loyal and hardworking, that's for sure. Perhaps it should be HUFF-"

Then the hat stopped. Everyone stared. It was unusual enough that the hat was talking loud enough for all to hear while sorting, but to be talking loudly and then to stop in the middle of assigning a house, well, which was just… impossible.

"No, I see other things in you, young Goku. Yes, I do," the hat continued. "Maybe Hufflepuff isn't for you after all."

Harry thought about the incident on the train and the look of cold fury in Goku's eyes when he was facing down Malfoy and his gang. I hope it isn't Slytherin, he thought. 

"Yes, you'd do good in Hufflepuff, but I do believe you'll do even better in - GRYFFINDOR!"

Harry exhaled sharply, realizing he had been holding his breath. He, Ron, and Hermione began to cheer. Goku let out a loud whoop of pure joy. "Thanks, hat!" he shouted. "I wanted to be with my new friends!" He took the hat off, and put it on the stool, giving it an affectionate pat, then ran down to join the Gryffindor table, where Harry, Ron, Hermione, and the twins greeted him warmly. 

"That was great," Goku said, as he settled down at the table. "I'm glad it picked Gryffindor." He looked around the table, and then frowned. "But I sure hope food is coming soon. I'm starved!" As if wanting to second the motion, his stomach let out an enormous rumble that was heard through the entire hall.

The number of first years was dwindling rapidly. Finally, after Whitby, Kevin was sorted into Hufflepuff, Professor McGonagall rolled up the scroll and the hat and stool were taken away. 

Professor Dumbledore stood up, smiling. "I've heard stomachs rumbling," he said, looking over at Goku with a twinkle in his eyes. "So I won't bore you words other than these. Dig in!"

The plates in front of them filled instantly and magically with a mouthwatering display of dishes. Everyone cheered and followed Dumbledore's advice to the fullest. 

While they were eating, Harry looked over at the Slytherin house and saw Vegeta staring at him with a look of pure venom. Harry's eyes widened in surprise; was he still upset about him getting his book bag? Then, he realized it wasn't himself Vegeta was staring at; it was Goku. 

Harry looked at Goku, to see if there was something different about him that might have upset Vegeta. Nothing seemed to be amiss and Goku himself was shoveling food into his mouth so fast that he hadn't noticed anyone trying to stare him down.

Harry nudged Goku to get his attention. "Do you know anyone over at the Slytherin table?" he asked. "I mean, besides Malfoy and his morons?"

Goku looked over to the table, his mouth still full of roast beef and looked around as he chewed. "Nope. Never seen any of them in my life," he cheerfully informed him. "Well, I saw some of them on the boats on the way over, but none of them were in my boat, so I didn't really talk to any of them. Are Malfoy and his friends really morons? I mean, I know they're mean, but morons too?"

Harry shrugged in answer to the question, and looked over at Vegeta. He was no longer looking their way, but filling his own plate to overflowing as if eating was all that mattered to him. Harry frowned, wondering if he had imagined that look of cold, hatred? He didn't think it was that likely. 

"Harry, aren't you going to eat?" 

It was Nearly Headless Nick, the resident ghost of Gryffindor asking. Harry smiled and dug in. It did look too good to pass up. He'd worry about Vegeta's dislike of Goku later. It might be something as simple as Goku's childish behavior over the sorting hat. 

Nick sighed. "You never stop missing it, you know." 

Harry nodded politely. Sometimes it bothered him that during many meals, Nearly Headless Nick had a habit of pointing out that he couldn't eat. But Harry was too hungry to care tonight. He started taking plates and helping himself to more.

Goku was in heaven, filling his plate over and over again. "Wow, this is almost as good as your house!" he commented to Ron. "The plates fill even faster!"

Everyone at the table was beginning to watch Goku eat. Several were trying not to be obvious about it, but a few were staring blatantly, some even pointing. Goku didn't seem to even notice. His whole being was concentrated on eating.

"Rule number one," Ron said to Harry, "Don't get your fingers too close when Goku is eating." 

Harry laughed. Goku turned to Ron and said, "I'fe onwy biffen 'omeone's fingers once. It waf an affident." Which made everyone sitting near him laugh. 

When the feast finally ended, and the plates and silverware were magiked away, Dumbledore stood up. The buzz of voices stopped abruptly and everyone turned their attention to him. He smiled. 

"Welcome to Hogwarts, one and all!" he announced, his arms spreading out before him. 

Everyone broke into a round of applause. Even the first years had stopped looking nervous and were beginning to look as if they were finally feeling comfortable.

"I have a few announcements to make," Dumbledore continued. "First and foremost, those who have just arrived here should know that the forest on the grounds is forbidden to all. "

"Why?" Goku asked, quite loudly. Hermione scowled and Ron kicked him under the table. "Hey!" Goku cried, looking startled and emotionally hurt, "I was just asking!"

"Because it's a dangerous place for those who are unfamiliar with it," Dumbledore explained, looking at Goku with an expression of amused exasperation, as if he understood completely, that Goku couldn't help doing these things, but also found it a bit annoying as well. "And Goku, if you have any other questions, I will ask that you wait until a later time to ask them. I will be happy to speak to you, tomorrow in my office, if you wish." 

"Okay, thanks!" Goku grinned cheerfully. "I really appreciate it." Several students laughed. 

Harry looked up and saw Vegeta staring at Goku again, with that same look of cold hatred he had been giving him after his sorting. He nudged Ron with his foot and whispered, "look over there." 

Ron looked up and over at the Slytherin table, trying to do it casually, as if he wasn't doing it deliberately, but just happened to be looking that way. When he saw Vegeta, his eyes widened for a moment, then he turned to Harry. "That guy has issues with Goku, doesn't he?"

"Yeah, from the looks of it, he does," Harry agreed. "But Goku doesn't know him."

"Knowing Goku, he might have met him before and forgotten him," Ron said, honestly, if not exactly complimentary. 

"True." It was a possibility, but Harry figured it was a slim one. 

Dumbledore had moved on to reading off the new list of forbidden objects. As usual, Flitch seemed to have spent his summer finding as many things students might enjoy and promptly banning them. Harry listened with half an ear. He didn't own many magical games and toys, so this usually wasn't a problem.

"…and, while it is not forbidden," Dumbledore continued, "The playing of Muggles The Unaware, is will only be allowed if all school work is done. Anyone caught violating that rule will have their deck confiscated." Dumbledore finished reading off the list by letting them know that it would be posted in its entirety outside of Filches room. 

"On to happier subjects," he continued, "Quidditch try-outs will be held in two weeks. Anyone interested in playing for their house should contact their head of house for further information."

Ron grinned, bouncing in his seat a couple of times. "That's for me!" he whispered. "Quidditch try-outs. Sure hope I can get in."

"Relax, you're a great Chaser," Fred said. "They'll be nuts not to use you."

"And now," Professor Dumbledore began, the stopped abruptly, as a scratching sound was heard on the doors leading into the hallway. He looked over at Hagrid, with an expression of annoyance. "Please don't tell me-"

"No!" Hagrid exclaimed quickly. "I tied 'im up'n ever'thin'! Use a bran' new chain!" The scratching was being replaced by a loud banging, as if someone was pounding something with the weight of a cannonball on the door. All the professors were looking at Hagrid with various degrees of annoyed on their faces as the banging became louder and louder. Turning red, Hagrid rose to his feet. "I'll go an'-"

Before he could finish the sentence, both of the huge doors, flew open with such force that they banged into the walls behind them, and the right door's latch went tumbling to the floor. Harry had the impression of something huge, green, and fury come leaping in, moving so fast it was just a blur, racing up the isle, between the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff table. As it ran past, Harry could feel the wind the motion created. 

Whatever it was, it ran to the staff table, leaped on top, upsetting many glasses, and then leaped onto Hagrid, knocking him to the floor, where it then proceeded to leap down and on top of him. 

Having pinned Hagrid to the floor, the creature stopped moving, so Harry got his first good look at it. It was about the size of a full-grown St. Bernard, but if this was a dog, it was like no dog Harry had ever set eyes on. It was indeed fury and a brilliant emerald green. The body was fuller and rounded in the middle, with shorter legs than seemed possible. The tail was thick close to the body, then tapering off to a fine tip, which wagged proudly and furiously. The head was elongated, with a jaw that reminded him of an alligator or even-

"A dragon!" Ron muttered, putting to words exactly what Harry had been thinking, "My god, it's a furry, green, dragon! How can Dumbledore allow him to have a dragon?" 

"Wow, neat!" Goku exclaimed. "I've never seen a fluffy dragon before! I wish I could pet it, but I'll bet I shouldn't ask right now." 

"No, ask him tomorrow when you go talk to him in his office," Ron suggested.

"I don't think that's a dragon," Hermione said, staring thoughtfully at the animal, which was happily licking Hagrid's face and making terrible, slurping noises. "I don't know what-" she began, then snapped her fingers. "It's a Dragedon!" 

"A what?" Ron asked.

"Howard, g'toff me, ya big brute!" Hagrid was saying loudly, but with great affection, as he attempted to wrestle the beast off him. "Ya know better than t'be here! Yer suppose t'be back at th'cottage!" 

"Dragedon," Hermione continued, nodding. "I read about them in the complete encyclopedia of magical creatures. Very rare, but not illegal. Supposedly, crossing a dog with a dragon first created them, but now breeding a male dragedon to a female makes them. Which makes them a separate species. However, they are a bit picky about which they breed with, and even more particular about creating offspring, which explains why they're rare. They're supposedly very loyal and loveable to their masters and whomever their masters consider to be friend and family, but fiercely territorial and protective as well. And, as I said, quite rare. I wonder how Hagrid was able to get his hands on one? It must have cost him a fortune, for one so young."

"Young?" Ron gasped, then repeated "Young? He's going to grow bigger?"

"Oh yes," Hermione said, still watching as Hagrid managed to separate himself from Howard and rise to his feet. Howard pranced around him, leaping up and trying to lick his face some more. "A full grown dragedon is a little bigger than a draft horse." 

"Wonderful," Ron muttered. "A giant spider, a three headed dog, a dragon, and now a Dragon dog. What next?" Harry's thoughts were quite close to Ron's. Hagrid's love of monsters, the more dangerous the better, was well known. He hoped, for everyone's sake, that Hermione was right about the loyal and loveable part. Howard looked as if he could bite Harry's arm off without pause.

"Hagrid, you cannot keep allowing Howard to escape," Dumbledore was saying. "This is the fifth time today. You almost didn't make it to the train station."

"I'm tryin' Professor," Hagrid said, as he pushed Howard's front paws off his chest. "But 'e's so strong, 'e keeps breakin' th'chains." 

"Never-the-less, we can't have him constantly interrupting the running of this school," Albus continued. Hagrid looked so miserable at this that Dumbledore sighed. "Well, tomorrow, I will come down and see if we can't figure out some solution. Perhaps Professor McGonagall can help us create a stronger chain. Transmogrified diamond might be strong enough."

Professor McGonagall's expression suggested that it might be a better idea to tie a rock around Howard's neck and toss him into the lake. But she merely nodded to Professor Dumbledore.

"Good. Now Hagrid, if you would be so kind as to bring Howard back to your cottage so we can finish the meeting?" Dumbledore asked, his good nature restored, now that he was sure a solution would be found. "I understand if you can't return this evening."

Hagrid nodded and started walking out the hall. Howard followed, running around him, frisking and leaping the entire time, as if Hagrid were a long lost brother he hadn't seen in about a million years. "C'mon 'oward," Hagrid muttered. "C'mon, let's get ye' back t'the cottage!"

They left the hall together. Once they were gone, Dumbledore smiled, his eyes twinkling. "I'm sorry, I didn't give a more formal introduction. That was Howard, Hagrid's new friend. He's very friendly, but unfortunately, well, let's just say he's not the brightest Galleon in the vault." Almost everyone laughed. Snape and Filch looked completely disgusted. 

With order restored, Dumbledore continued his announcements. "I would like to introduce you to our new Defense Against The Dark Arts teacher." He motioned to the stranger in the trench coat. "Everyone, I'd like you to give a warm welcome to Professor Daikon." He motioned to the stranger, who rose to his feet briefly and nodded, then sat down. His expression was completely emotionless.

Goku looked at him and gasped. "That's the guy who killed the vampire owl!" he whispered. Hermione, Harry, and Ron tried not to laugh. It had taken him this long to notice? 

"He has worked as an Auror for the Ministry of Magic and done similar things in other countries for many years." Dumbledore continued his introduction. "And, since he often has to live among Muggles, he will also be teaching the special course in understanding the ways of Muggles, which many of you will be taking this year." 

There was a small, but noticeable groan about the hall, coming primarily from the students who knew they would have to take this new class, on top of all their others. Professor Daikon looked around the room, eyes narrowing briefly, which brought it to a fast stop. No sense in getting on a teacher's bad side before the first class.

"I'm sure you'll all do your best to make Professor Daikon feel welcome here." Dumbledore said. At this, everyone burst into a polite round of applause. Professor Daikon did not look fooled at all by this, but just looked around at everyone. 

"He's gonna be lots of fun," Fred muttered. 

Ron smirked. "I wouldn't set off any dungbombs in his class if I were you." 

"Well," George said, optimistically. "He can't be worse than Snape."

Privately, Harry agreed, but found that thought to be of little comfort. 

Dumbledore ended his welcoming speech with a brief pep talk about how he hope that everyone would do well in the coming year, then suggested they all go to bed. The students made their way out of the Great Hall and to their separate houses. 

The Gryffindors gathered by the portrait a fat lady, wearing a pink dress. Goku pushed his way towards the front and waved. "Hi lady!" 

"Password?" She asked. 

"You're very large," Goku continued. "I like your dress." 

"Password?" she repeated, a bit more stern. 

George pushed his way forward through the crowd of waiting students. "I know the password!" he called out, "a prefect told me." The other students were much more willing to let him get by with that information. He stopped in front of the portrait.

"Password?" The large lady said, for the third time in less than three minutes. She didn't seem very amused. 

"Balderdash," George said. The portrait swung open, reveling the hole that they all climbed through, which took them right into the common room. A fire crackled, warm and inviting in the fireplace. The same, comfortable, overstuffed, armchairs were there. Goku immediately leaped onto one and bounced several times. "Squishy!" he proclaimed, "and bouncy too! Wheee!"

Hermione smiled indulgently to him, then wished everyone a good night and went to the stairwell that lead to the girls dorm. Harry and Ron waited a bit for Goku, and then finally told him that he would have plenty of time this year to check out the chairs further, and perhaps they should go to bed instead. 

"Oh, right!" Goku said, leaping from the chair to follow him. They walked up the last spiral staircase to the top of their tower, where their room was located. Seamus and Dean were already up there, because they hadn't had to wait for Goku to finish bouncing on the chairs. Dean had even hung up his poster of the West Ham football team, and both of them were in their pajamas and sliding into bed.

"This is a funny world," Goku commented. "Everyone gets dressed in special clothing, just to go to bed." He looked around the room, until he saw his trunk at the end of the bed that Neville had used. "Is this where I'll sleep?" he asked.

The other four boys looked at each other for a moment. Harry swallowed hard. It seemed somehow… faintly wrong to have Neville's bed being used. _Why?_ he wondered, _it isn't as if Neville is dead. If he comes back next year, we'll just move another bed in._

"Well, is it?" Goku asked again. He was standing near the bed, looking ready to pounce on it, but waiting until he was given the okay.

Seamus and Dean shrugged first, looking away from Ron and Harry. Ron kept his gaze on Harry for a moment, then finally looked away and shrugged as well. _Gee, leave it to me,_ Harry thought, and then looked over at Goku. "Of course it's your bed! Your trunk is there, isn't it?"

"I just wanted to make sure!" Goku cried, leaping on the four-poster bed, which looked identical to the other beds in the room. He landed square in the middle and bounced up and down a couple of times. "This is perfect!" he cried. "Nice and bouncy, but not too squishy. I don't like to sleep on something too squishy, but bouncy is just fine!" 

All four boys exhaled sharply, not even realize they had been holding their breath while Goku leaped on the bed. In the three years they had shared the room with Neville, they had all at various times sat on his bed for various reasons such as to play cards, or to talk. And they had all noted one thing about Neville; he liked a soft, squishy bed, the softer and squishier the better. It might have been the same frame, but the mattress had been changed, which made it seem less like Neville's bed and therefore, less like Goku was replacing Neville.

Goku leaped from the bed and began tearing off his clothes, throwing them in a pile on to the floor. When he was stripped down to his underwear, he leaped into bed. "Ooo!" he murmured as he settled in. "Warm and cozy! No chilly sheets!"

Harry and Ron finished changing into their pajamas and slid into bed themselves. The beds were comfortably warm, which was quite nice. Harry curled up on his side, ready to do some serious sleeping. 

Harry, Ron, Seamus, and Dean all drifted off to sleep listening to Goku snoring. 

  
_End Chapter Seven_

  


Author's notes: There is a wonderful illustration to this story, which was done by Sabrebabe. (sabrebabe@chartermi.net) It can be found here: http://doghouse.la.ca.us/~darqstar/otherfandoms/hpdbz/graphics/goksort.html Check it out. If you like it, email the artist and let her know, okay? I want to encourage her. 

Also, a lot of folks have left comments. Thank you. It's really appreciated. I've tried to respond to all of you, but if you never got a "thank you" from me, it's because your mail got returned to me with the "no such user" message, or I didn't have an email address for you. I just don't want anyone to think I'm not appreciating that you're taking the time to leave comments. 

It might be awhile before the next update. I've got stuff written, but my proofreader (who is a wonderful human being and does have a life she should be allowed to lead) hasn't gotten it back to me. Once she gets it to me, I'll get it up when I can. 


	9. Interlude I

_Interlude I_

**From the private journal of Vegeta "Crabbe"**

  


  


  


  


  


  
If I ever needed evidence that I'm losing it, this could be it. I can't believe I'm actually doing this, keeping some sort of record. A journal of all things. But, things are not "right." They think I know nothing, that I'm some toy to be manipulated. No one manipulates me. I ran away before to stop it before, and I'll do it again. But the power these type wield is different. Attack me; I can deal with it straight on. But this "magic" stuff is another thing entirely. 

Yet, it holds the key, so I stay. I pretend I'm on their side when the truth is; the only side I belong to is my own. No one owns me. No one ever will. But as I said before, this is a different way of manipulating power, one I must master. Sometimes I wonder if things have been done to me against my will and wishes. Things I don't even know about. That's how tricky this power works. 

I can't believe I'm in this pit. Yes, having a job to do and all such is all fine and good, but this place is a bit too much. A school for magic, right. I've only been here a few hours and I can already tell I'm not going to learn much of any use. The stuff of real power is probably restricted. Defense against the Dark Arts indeed! Teach me the Dark Arts, for I know that is where the power is. 

Speaking of Defense against the Dark Arts... Kakarotto and I are not the only Saiya-jins on this planet. The new professor is one too. And if I'm not mistaken, those "sunglasses" he wears are actually a converted scouter. I'm just having trouble figuring out who it is. I'm about the same age as Kakarotto is, but I should be older. So, whoever "Professor Daikon" is, he's probably aged normally. 

Well, either way, neither of them conquered this pathetic planet. I wonder who they ran into along the way to stop them? Well, Kakarotto (they call him Goku here. What a stupid name.) Obviously had some sort-of head injury that rid him of his programming. And, I'd even say he probably has some brain damage, because he strikes me as an idiot. It's a good thing plans have changed, because I don't think he'd be any help to me at all. 

Professor Daikon? He's another matter. No damage done to him, at least none that is obvious. I have to figure out who he is. I'd be more comfortable if he wasn't teaching Defense against the Dark Arts. You have to figure, in order to teach about fighting against it, you'd have to know quite a bit about it. I'll figure out more as I actually take his classes. Either way, he knows who I am. How could he not? And he'd better show me the respect I deserve. 

Wonderful, my so-called cousin, and his other brain dead buddy, Goyle are trying to out do each other for who can make the most noise in their sleep. Vincent snores like he has to rip the mortar off the walls. Gregory burps and farts. In between that, we have Draco, who slurps like a child with a lollypop. I just looked over there, and he's sucking on one of his fingers. Disgusting. I hope one of these classes teaches me how to silence these morons quickly, or I'm going to be facing nights of no sleep in this place. 

My Slytherin brethren. What a joke. No one on this planet is my true equal. There is no one I would ever call my brother. I stand alone. And, once I get the power I need, I'll take great delight in ending this game once and for all and leaving this planet a barren wasteland. 

Then, it's on to the big time. Revenge. I must never forget that's what I truly live for. No matter how hard they might try to change me, change who I am, they won't succeed. 

I am Vegeta. I am the Prince of All Saiya-jins. 


	10. Smashes, Crashes, and Flattened Creature...

_Chapter Eight_

**Smashes, Thrashes, and Flattend Creatures**

  


  


  


  
A storm had started in the middle of the night and the ceiling of the Great Hall was grey and dreary the next morning at breakfast. While the rain had stopped for a bit, it looked as if it would start again at any moment. It seemed to Harry like a rather dismal sign for his first day of classes. 

"Wonderful," Ron muttered darkly, as he studied his schedule of classes. "We're outside for the morning. We're going to get soaked." 

"Yeah," Harry agreed, checking his own schedule. "Herbology with the Hufflepuffs. Hopefully, we'll be in the greenhouse." 

"Yeah, but then we have Magical Creatures with the Slytherins and that's definitely going to be outdoors," Hermione said, with an unusually sour expression. Normally, Hermione couldn't wait for classes to begin, but even her enthusiasm didn't quite extend to getting soaking wet while dealing with (knowing Hagrid) dangerous magical creatures and Slytherins. "Oh well, at least I have my heavy cloak." 

"Double Divinations this afternoon," Ron went on and looked over at Harry. "I wonder how you're going to die this year." 

"Very funny, Ron," Harry muttered, as he spread jam on another piece of toast. Next to Potions, Divinations was his least favorite class. If Professor Trelawney wasn't predicting his death, she was at least predicting terrible misfortune. Dealing with Trelawney and her overly warm, overly-incensed classroom was the last thing Harry needed on a rainy day. 

"I've got a class in ketchup," Goku announced cheerfully, as he helped himself to more eggs. "I wonder what that's all about? Do you think they'll give me some burgers to go with the ketchup? I'd even settle for hot dogs." 

Hermione leaned over to look at his schedule. "_Catch. Up_," she said, pronouncing each word clearly and separately. "I'm assuming that instead of taking some of the optional classes that we're taking, you're going for special help so you can _catch up_ with the rest of us." 

"Oh," Goku looked disappointed for a moment, then shrugged and began shoveling sausage in his mouth. "Well, maybe that will be fun." 

"Mmm," Hermione murmured. "This year isn't going to be easy on you, Goku. I'll help you as much as I can." 

"Fanks!" Goku exclaimed, spraying Hermione with bits of his breakfast. "Oofs!" He chewed faster and swallowed quickly, then drank down half his glass of milk to clear his mouth. "Sorry 'bout that." 

"It's okay," Hermione said, as she wiped away the crumbs with a napkin. "Uh, no harm done." 

Harry and Ron tried not to laugh. "When do we have Defense Against the Dark Arts?" Harry asked, changing the subject. 

Ron looked over his schedule and groaned. "Wednesday." 

"That's not so bad," Hermione said. 

"It's not the day, it's who," Ron said, groaning again. "We're with the Slytherins this year." 

"What?" Harry picked up his own schedule and looked at it. What he saw puzzled him even more, a tiny S, H, R, and G, 4th year. "We're with more than just with the Slytherins, we're with all four houses!" 

"Yeah," Ron muttered, his frown deepening. "I wonder why that is. I've never heard of all the houses having a class together. Is this a fourth year thing?" 

"Not as far as I know," Fred said, holding out his own schedule. "Look! George and I got the same thing with us too." 

Checking around the table, they discovered that all the Defense Against the Dark Arts classes were to take place with all the students from each year in every class. Something none of them had ever heard of happening before. However, the four of them had little time to ponder the situation before they had to hurry up and get to Herbology, where they spent the class squeezing pus from bubotubers, which would be used to make an acne cure for Madam Pomfrey, the school nurse to use for students. Squeezing the bubotubers was both satisfying (when they squished) and disgusting (after all it was foul-smelling pus) at the same time. 

"Gross!" Goku cried out, as some of the thick-ish yellow liquid splashed onto his hands. "Professor Sprout, this won't hurt me, will it?" 

Professor Sprout tossed him a cloth. "No, it won't hurt you," she said. "But you should wipe it off. And try not to waste it. Bubotuber pus is very valuable around here, what with so many students going to drastic measures to rid themselves of pimples." 

"Two summers ago, Fred tried to turn a zit into a ladybug," Ron whispered to Harry. "He figured then he could just pick it off and let it fly away. The problem was he had a ladybug embedded under the skin on his cheek. That was a fun mess, let me tell you. He ended up with a big, round cut on his face and Mom wouldn't let him heal it. Told him it would teach him a lesson to let it heal by itself." 

While Harry tried not to laugh, a small chuckle escaped his lips. "Is something funny, Mr. Potter?" Professor Sprout asked, looking at Ron and him with a raised brow. 

"Uhm, no," Harry began, only to be interrupted by Goku. 

"Ron was just telling Harry how one of his brothers once turned a zit into a ladybug," he said clearly. Obviously, Goku had better hearing than the average person, because he was sitting behind Ron and Harry, and they had been barely whispering. "He ended up with a big cut on his face." 

Harry and Ron looked at each other and winced, waiting to see what would happen now and wishing that sometimes Goku wouldn't be so cheerfully honest. But Professor Sprout merely nodded. "It's amazing what some people will go through, just for vanity. Well, thanks to the Bubotubers, we shouldn't have those problems this year." 

Professor Sprout's attitude about Ron's story inspired others to tell various tales of acne disasters. Professor Sprout didn't seem to mind if they talked, as long as they continued to collect the pus. Except for the peculiar smell of the Bubotuber pus (It rather reminded Harry of petrol) it was pleasant with everyone talking pleasantly, telling humorous stories. He was almost able to ignore the rain that had started again and was beating against the walls of greenhouse three. Inside the glass greenhouse, it was an almost soothing noise. 

* * *

The rain stopped being pleasant when class was over and the Gryffindors knew their next class would be outside, with Hagrid. They made their way across the wet yard, down to Hagrid's hut. As his cottage came into view, Harry could see Howard chained to a tree across the yard, straining like mad to get free. Even though the creature was soaking wet, he still looked large and formidable, unlike many other furry animals that seemed to shrink when they were wet. 

Hagrid was standing outside, looking positively delighted as they approached. Lying on the grass nearby, were various crates. Inside his cottage, Harry could hear Fang, the boarhound, howling indignantly to be let out. 

"Gather 'round!" Hagrid called out, "I've got a real treat for yer! Be'er wait fer th'Slytherins." 

The "treat" turned out to be Blast Ended Skrewts, which everyone quickly regarded about as far from a "treat" as you could get. They were ugly creatures that resembled shell-less lobsters. And if that wasn't enough fun, they had an annoying tendency to explode when you came near them. 

"Has Hagrid finally gone crazy?" Malfoy squawked, as he observed the creatures. "Why in the world would we want anything to do with these?" 

As Hermione spoke up to give her advice, something green and furry came running up to the group, tromping over the boxes at tremendous speed, as he ran towards his goal - Hagrid. 

"'Oward!" Hagrid exclaimed, as the dragedon leapt on top of him, his paws resting on his lower chest. "'Ow did ya break y'chain this time?" He looked both proud and annoyed. Annoyed that Howard had once again broken his chains, but proud that his "baby" was so strong. 

Howard paid no attention, just wagged his enormous tail, knocking over a couple more crates. The class leapt backwards to avoid being attacked by the Skrewts, which seemed quite angry at having been overturned. As he moved out of the way to avoid one of the creatures, Malfoy slipped in the wet grass and fell flat on his rear end on another crate, which broke under the impact. 

"What!" Malfoy roared, as he leapt to his feet as fast as possible. He followed his exclamation with a nice string of swear words, but no one was paying much attention. They were too busy trying to avoid the Blast-Ended Skrewts and Howard, who had decided that since Hagrid wouldn't pet him, he should instead run from student to student and see if any of them would pet him instead. 

Howard dashed over to Harry, tromping on several Skrewts along the way. The Skrewts also seemed to have stingers as well as bangers, but none of these things phased Howard in the least. He caught up to Harry, leaping up, putting his huge, front paws on Harry's chest, which sent him falling straight on his back. 

"'Oward, ya big brute!" Hagrid shouted, running over to haul him off of Harry. "Listen' t'yer daddy an' stop it, now!" 

Howard paid no attention, because he was too busy trying to wash Harry's face with his enormous tongue that had a texture much like course sandpaper. "Howard!" Harry sputtered, as he tried to move away from the huge dragon-dog, which was impossible, because his front paws had Harry firmly anchored to the ground. Harry could feel the mud and water seeping in through his cloak, getting into his hair and everything. 

Finally, Howard seemed to notice Harry's glasses, and snapped them up in his mouth, then leapt off Harry and began running around with them. 

"Harry, are yea all right?" Hagrid asked, hauling him to his feet as if Harry were a toddler who had tripped and fallen. "Yea ain't hurt, are ya?" 

Harry wobbled a bit shakily. Ron and Hermione were rushing over, attempting to wipe the worst of the mud and grass off of his back. "My _glasses_!" Harry moaned. "That creature has my glasses!" 

They all looked over at Howard, who was still running around the students, trampling on Skrewts, left and right. Harry's glasses were in the creature's mouth and he looked as if he had no intention of surrendering them to anyone. 

"'Oward!" Hagrid bellowed, trying to get the animal's attention, to no avail. 

"I'll get him!" Goku shouted enthusiastically, and ran after Howard. "C'mon Howard, come to me!" 

Howard looked over at Goku, pausing for a brief second to check out this creature who actually seemed to want his attention. He ran over and leapt on Goku, who held his ground. "Good doggie-dragon!" Goku said, reaching over to pet the creature's enormous muzzle. 

Meanwhile, the rest of the class was in a panic between trying to avoid Howard and the Skrewts, who were looking quite worse for the wear for having been trampled on. Only one person looked as if this wasn't bothering him, and that was Vegeta. He was standing off to the side, his arms crossed over his chest, looking at the situation as if the whole thing was both a terrible and deliberate waste of his time, as well as an insult to his immense dignity. 

"Oh no," Hagrid moaned, looking at several of the creatures, who were for the most part, squished flat. "I don' think I can replace these!" 

"Who cares?" Malfoy snapped and for once, Harry whole-heartedly agreed with him, although he would never say it out loud. By now, Malfoy was on his feet - barely - as Crabbe and Goyle were trying to knock the mud off his back and almost sending him flying forward this time. "Disgusting creatures are better off dead." 

Hagrid looked hurt by Malfoy's comment but didn't say anything to him, because he was watching Goku with Howard. 

Goku was trying to get Howard to surrender Harry's glasses, but Howard was having no part of that. As far as the Dragedon was concerned, this was a game now, and he had no intention of losing. "C'mon, Howard," Goku cried, as he gripped one end of the glasses and tried to draw them out of the creature's mouth. "Give them up, they aren't yours, they're Harry's!" 

"He's gonna crush them to bits," Harry moaned, having visions of being unable to see for the entire year. He figured the chances of the Dursleys replacing them were slim to none. "It's your own fault for going to that school!" would be their attitude. 

"Let me help!" Hermione rushed towards Goku and Howard, her wand out. Howard looked over towards her, and seemed to recognize what was coming, because he whipped his head back, still holding the glasses, and jumped down from Goku, and started running around the yard again. 

"Oh bother, why can't he just stand _still_ for a moment!" Hermione cried in frustration, still holding her wand. "I can't aim if he keeps moving like that!" 

"Git back 'ere, 'oward!" Hagrid shouted at the beast. 

"Don't worry, Professor Hagrid," Goku said. "I'll get him!" And he began running after Howard again. 

Harry was convinced his glasses were gone. It didn't help the situation that he could barely see what was going on and Ron was standing next to him, trying not to laugh. _Some friend_, Harry thought bitterly, even though he knew deep down that had the situation been reversed, he would be having a hard time containing his own laughter. 

Although he couldn't see clearly without his glasses and the driving rain, Harry was able to make out Howard trying to make a break from the group with Harry's glasses. Goku was tearing after him. Howard was just about to rush past Vegeta, who was still just standing, watching the whole situation with a look of boredom, when Goku leapt on top of Howard, trying to pin him to the ground. Suddenly, it looked like Vegeta raised his hand and a blast of yellow and white light came from his palm. It shot from him, straight over to Goku, who let out a roar of pain but held on tightly to Howard, fixing his arms around the creature's neck. Howard let out a noise that rested somewhere between a bark and a howl, and the glasses fell out of his mouth. 

Hagrid, who had caught up to Howard and Goku, quickly scooped up the glasses. "'Ere!" he shouted, tossing them to Hermione, who caught them in her hand and held them up, triumphantly. 

"Got them!" she cried. 

Vegeta's hand was still raised. He sent out another blast, this one knocking Goku off of Howard, and onto the ground. "Cut it _out_!" Goku yelled. 

"Stop that!" Hagrid shouted, with a roar that was probably heard inside the Hogwarts castle. "Why are you attacking the boy?" 

"I wasn't attacking Kakarotto!" Vegeta snarled, motioning to Howard. "I was attacking this stupid beast." 

Goku rolled over on the ground and stood up, looking shaky. "W-well," he sputtered, looking a bit angry. "You _missed!_" 

"Sorry." Vegeta shrugged, as if he was merely saying the word as a formality and didn't mean it at all. "But you have to admit, the way you and the creature were moving, it was an easy mistake to make." 

"Yeah, right," Goku sputtered. "And my name is _Goku_!" 

Vegeta shrugged, indicating it didn't much matter to him what Goku said his name was. He crossed his arms over his chest again, indicating that as far as he was concerned, the incident was over. 

Hagrid looked at Goku, who was covered with water, mud, and green fur. "Are ya all right, Goku?" 

Goku nodded, but reached up and touched his shoulder, where one of the blasts had hit him and winced. His robe was smoking and there was a large hole in it, which seemed to have burned through to his very skin. "I-I'm okay." 

"Well, maybe ya better go t'the nurse," Hagrid said. He looked around until he saw Dean, who had seemed to come out of this whole tussle unscathed. "Can ya take him t'see Madam Pomfrey?" 

Dean nodded and walked over to Goku. "Are you okay to walk?" Goku nodded and the both of them left the area. 

Meanwhile, Howard had gone back to running around, trampling more of the Skrewts. Everyone had backed off a fair distance. Hagrid caught up to Howard and grabbed him by the scruff. "C'mon ya blasted brute!" He hauled him off, and back over to the tree where he'd been tied up before class. "I can't believe ya interrupted th'class like that! I oughta-" 

Howard started dragging at his hand, his paws digging into the ground. He looked up at Hagrid with enormously round, sad, green eyes. Hagrid quieted his rampage immediately. "Suppose I gotta expect thin's like this," he muttered instead, reaching down to pat the top of Howard's large, furry, head. "Yer jess' a baby, after all." 

Hermione looked at Harry's glasses and sighed. The lenses were cracked and the frame was bent. She pulled out her wand. "_Reparo_!" she said, and tapped the glasses. Then she frowned and tapped the wand on the glasses again. "_Immaculata_!" When she handed them back to Harry, they were not only fixed, but they were spotlessly clean. 

"Thanks," Harry said, as he put them back on. When his eyes adjusted and everything came back into focus, he was almost sorry he could see again. The yard was a mess, as were most of the students in the class. But he probably looked the worst, thanks to his fall in the mud. Most of the others looked cold and miserable with the rain pouring on them, surrounded by broken crates and dead blast-ended Skrewts. 

"Yikes," Seamus said, as he shook his head. "I feel sorry for Hagrid, but I'm not too miserable at seeing these things put out of action." 

"That creature is dangerous!" Malfoy sputtered, as he tried to wipe off some of the mud covering him with his hands. "I can't believe they're allowing Hagrid to keep a monster like that with students around. Wait till-" 

"-Your father hears about this, yeah, we all know that one," Ron interrupted angrily. 

"Watch it, Weasley," Malfoy snapped. "Just cause _your_ father is a nobody and mine has a _real_ voice in the magic community, don't take it out on me." 

"Dragedons are perfectly legal to own," Hermione spoke up, defending Hagrid. "And Howard didn't really hurt anyone, except the Skrewts, which you were saying earlier you hated anyway." 

"Quit defending Hagrid, Granger," Malfoy's voice was cold. "Just cause you happen to like the freak, doesn't mean-" 

"Tha's enough," Hagrid interrupted. He had finished chaining Howard up and returned, just in time to hear Malfoy's last statement. Malfoy closed his mouth, but stared at Hagrid furiously. Hagrid ignored the stare and turned to the rest of the class. 

"Under the circumstances, I'll let ya go early. Some of ya might wan' t'get int'some dry clothes before lunch." 

"Best idea I've heard all day," Vegeta stated, his voice carrying over the driving rain. Without waiting for a response, he started walking across the lawn, away from the hut. The other students were quick to follow suit, until only Ron, Hermione, and Harry were left with Hagrid. 

"Professor Dumbledore ain't gonna like this one bit," Hagrid said glumly. "I 'ope Goku's okay." 

"He'll be fine," Ron assured him. "I've been living with the kid since the beginning of summer and he's tough. Besides, it wasn't your fault or Howard's that he got hurt. It was that... whatever it was that Vegeta did." 

Hermione nodded in agreement and added, "I wonder what that was. I don't think it was magic, or at least not normal magic. But it had to be, no one could just make... energy shoot from their hands without using some magic. I didn't see him use a wand, though." 

"Professor Daikon used energy and no wand, when he destroyed that vampire owl," Harry reminded her. "And whatever it was Vegeta used, it was pretty effective," 

"He's just got to learn to aim it better," Ron said. "He said was trying for Howard, but he hit Goku twice. We're lucky the poor kid isn't toast." 

Harry was wondering about that himself, especially remembering the looks Vegeta had been giving Goku at dinner the night before. Howard was a big animal, bigger than Goku. It seemed hard to imagine Vegeta being able to miss a large target like Howard. And why did Vegeta call him Kakarotto? No matter how hard of hearing someone was, it was hard to mistake a name like Goku for Kakarotto. 

"Doesn' matter what it was," Hagrid said, still looking morose. "If 'oward 'adn't gotten loose, none o'this would o' 'appened." 

"Don't worry about it, what's done is done," Ron said. 

"I suppose." Hagrid's comment was followed by a long sigh. Then he blinked and looked at the three of them. "Yea better be getting' t' yer rooms t'change. It'll be lunch soon, an' if yer stay in those wet clothes, you'll catch a cold. Tha's all I need t' 'appen on top o' everthin' else." 

As they made their way to the castle, Harry hoped that Divinations would go more like his first class of the day, rather than his second. Then he remembered Professor Trelawney and his skeptical side took over. Normally, he rather enjoyed his first day back to school, but he had a feeling this time would be different. 

* * *

Half an hour later, wearing clean, dry clothing, the three met in the Great Hall to eat lunch. Goku joined them just as the serving plates were refilling themselves for second helpings. He had changed into clean, burn-free clothing and was looking his usual self. "Hey guys!" he called out, as he slid into a seat next to Harry. 

"Goku, are you okay?" Harry asked, along with most of the Gryffindors. Even the ones who weren't in their year knew the story by now. The grapevine of Hogwarts was notoriously fast, if not always perfectly reliable. 

"Yup, I'm fine!" Goku said, his tail wagging enthusiastically. "That Madam Pomfrey is good. She put some ucky smelling stuff on my shoulder and side and now I'm fine! My cloak isn't so lucky though." 

"I'll look at it later," Hermione offered. "Maybe I can fix it." 

"Thanks!" Goku began grabbing serving plates and piling his own plate high with food. "Looks like your glasses are fine," he commented to Harry, as he piled up a huge number of roast beef slices and covered them with a thick, brown, gravy. 

"Yeah," Harry said, nodding. "Hermione fixed them for me." 

"Can't even tell that less than an hour ago, they were covered with Dragedon drool," Ron chimed in. 

"Good, I was worried," Goku, said, as he piled more mashed potatoes on his plate. When his plate was as full as he could get it, without toppling over, he paused to admire his handy-work. "This looks great!" he exclaimed. "I'm _starving_!" Before anyone could say another word, he set to demolishing the plate as fast as he had filled it. 

"Boy, Goku sure likes to eat!" Dennis Creevey exclaimed in a high, squeaky voice. "Look, Col," he nudged his brother to get his attention, "look at him eat!" 

Goku grinned over to Dennis. "Eating is fun! Eating is about the best thing you can do, besides fighting." He looked at Dennis's plate, which was still half full, then at Dennis, who was a very skinny little boy. "You should eat more too," he said, then turned his attention back to his plate. 

Dennis grinned, picked up his fork and dug in again. 

The owl delivery came at lunch that day, probably due to the bad weather. Harry watched as several owls swooped in through the windows, dropping packages. Malfoy got his usual package from home, which he opened slowly and obviously, to show everyone he had received lots of goodies, looking over towards Harry and Ron to make sure they saw. _I have to write Sirius_, Harry thought. Sirius would be unlikely to send him letters at Hogwarts unless he sent one first, so he could use Hedwig to send a return reply. A large, colorful, tropical bird would bring a lot of attention to Harry at the school. He had sent a thank-you note when he got his birthday present, but Harry should have realized he'd have to start the letters again once he was back in school. 

A large barn owl dropped a letter down in front of Vegeta, and then swooped off as if it knew Vegeta wasn't going to share any of his lunch with him. Vegeta looked at the envelope, shrugged, and stuffed it in his pocket. 

"Did your dad write you?" Vincent Crabbe asked, holding up a letter that he had received from his family. 

"None of your business," Vegeta said coldly. "I don't ask about your mail, do I?" 

"Gesh, is he ever friendly?" Ron muttered, having also heard the exchange. "Crabbe is his cousin and he won't even give him the time of day." 

"I know," Harry agreed softly. 

"Stop it," Hermione suddenly said. Ron and Harry turned to look at her, shocked at this statement. 

"What?" Ron shook his head, as if doing that would make it so her words made more sense to him. "What are you talking about?" 

"I'm talking about the way you're badmouthing him," Hermione said, looking briefly over in Vegeta's direction then quickly away. "He's cold, I grant you that, but he's really done nothing to us. The both of you are just prepared to hate him because he's related to Vincent Crabbe. That's not his fault, that's merely an accident of birth." 

"Hermione, have you gone nuts?" Ron asked, tipping his head to one side and studying her. "When he came here yesterday, he acted like he was better than everyone else in the place. He got mad when the members of his own house greeted him. He blasted Goku twice in Hagrid's class." He held up his fingers, ticking them off to mark all the things Vegeta had done so far to make him seem less friendly. "And now his cousin asked him a simple question and he was just rude to him. What else does the guy have to do to convince you he's a jerk, burn the school to the ground?" 

"He claimed he was trying to hit Howard, not Goku. Since I've never seen anyone use magic of his type before, I don't know, maybe it's more difficult to control. As for the other things, there could be some perfectly reasonable explanations for how he's behaving," Hermione carefully said. "Remember what we overheard Crabbe saying on the train. His mother died, and he probably didn't even know who his father was till she was gone and from what I gathered, that wasn't too long ago. That would put a damper on anyone's spirit, don't you think?" 

Harry had been but a baby when his own mother had been killed to protect him, but he still nodded, imagining how he would feel if Sirius or Dumbledore were to die. Ron hesitated, obviously thinking of how he would feel if his mother passed on, and then nodded as well. 

"And," she continued. "Maybe he really doesn't even want to be a Slytherin." 

"What?" Ron scoffed. "That's crazy. If he hadn't wanted to be a Slytherin, the hat probably wouldn't have put him there." 

"We don't know that for fact," Hermione said. "Maybe he feels he has to be a Slytherin, because his father is one and will be disappointed if he isn't as well. He lost his mother; he might be scared if he doesn't get into Slytherin, he'll lose his father as well. But, maybe, deep down, he doesn't like what Slytherin represents." 

"Sure Hermione," Ron said, rolling his eyes. "Deep down, he wants to be a Hufflepuff." 

"Maybe he does!" Goku spoke up suddenly as he finished swallowing his last mouthful. Harry, Ron, and Hermione were a bit surprised, because Goku hadn't shown any indication before that he was listening to their talk. "It sounds a lot nicer than Slytherin," he continued. "Slytherin sounds like a cross between sly or slithery. But Hufflepuff sounds nice, and warm, like a bubble bath or something. Huuuuuflepuuuuuuuf," he drew out the house name slowly. "I mean, I sure am glad I'm in Gryfffindor, but, if I had to pick between the two of them, I'd much rather be a Huuuuufflepuff than Ssssslytherin." 

Both Ron and Harry turned their heads away from Goku for a moment, knowing that if they looked into his eyes, they would burst out laughing. Some of the Hufflepuffs had heard Goku's pronunciation of their house name and were staring at him with open curiosity. Goku saw them looking and grinned. "Your house has a great name. Huuuuuuflepuff!" 

Cedric Digdory, the captain of the Hufflepuff Quidditch team, was frowning at first but then realized that Goku's comment, while a bit strange, was meant as a compliment. He grinned and snickered. "I never really thought of it that way." 

"Well, maybe you should." Goku shrugged. "The hat almost put me in Hufflepuff."

"I know," Cedric said, his grin turning to a soft smile that made Harry think perhaps he was a bit sorry the hat had changed its mind and put Goku in Gryfffindor. 

"Well, I don't know if he wanted to be a Hufflepuff or not," Hermione said, going back to the original conversation, defending Vegeta. "But that doesn't mean he wants to be a Slytherin either." She kept her voice low, in case anyone was listening. 

Harry shook his head slowly, remembering the conversation he had overheard. "I don't think so," he finally murmured. "There are things... that you guys don't know. Things I overheard." 

"Really?" Hermione and Ron turned to look at him, their eyes lighting up. 

"What?" Ron asked. 

Harry shook his head. "It's almost time for classes. We'll talk later." 

Hermione and Ron nodded, understanding that later was really a code word for, 'when we're alone.' That was all right anyway, because it was time for them all to get to their next class. 

"See you after catch-up!" Goku called cheerfully. He grabbed one last cookie from a plate, before it disappeared and stuffed it in his mouth. Then he leaped from the table, his tail swishing happily, and ran off. 

"That boy must have the most amazingly high metabolism," Hermione said, as they left the Great Hall together. "No one eats like him." 

"Not quite no one," Ron said. "Did you see how much Vegeta and Professor Daikon eat? Their manners are a little better, but they eat almost as much as Goku does." 

End Chapter Eight. 

Author's notes: There is a wonderful illustration to this story, which was done by Sabrebabe. (sabrebabe@chartermi.net) It can be found here: http://doghouse.la.ca.us/~darqstar/otherfandoms/hpdbz/graphics/howard.html Check it out. If you like it, email the artist and let her know, okay? I want to encourage her. 


	11. Divinations And Discussions

_Chapter Nine_

**Divinations and Discussions**

  


  


  


  


  


  


Harry didn't have any time to discuss Vegeta or Professor Daikon's eating habits on the way to Divinations. The class was held at the top of one of the furthest towers, and they had cut it rather close at lunch. They found themselves running up the stairs and rushing up the silver ladder through the trapdoor. 

Professor Trelawney's classroom hadn't changed at all over the summer. It was still unpleasantly warm due to the fire constantly burning in the fireplace, which in turn heated up a copper kettle that was filled with some sort of incense. The incense gave the room a heavy perfume scent that sometimes made Harry feel like sneezing. It would have been a little nicer in the room if the windows could be opened, but they were shut tight, with heavy curtains drawn across them.

Everyone else in the class was already there when Ron and Harry arrived, so they quickly made their way to one of the empty round tables and settled into the overstuffed chairs. 

Professor Trelawney hadn't changed at all either, and she still reminded Harry of a silver insect. She was a thin, pale woman who wore an enormous number of bracelets and necklaces, which rattled when she walked. Some students were known to joke that if she didn't wear all that jewelry, she would blow away with a strong wind. The thick glasses she wore made her eyes look almost unrealistically large. 

"It's good to see you all again. I'm only sorry that it couldn't be under more pleasant circumstances," she greeted the class. "But, I'm afraid, this year will be a most unpleasant one for many of you." 

Ron looked at Harry, rolling his eyes. Trelawney was known for always predicting the worst. Several students hung to her every word, but rarely were her predictions true. Only the year before, she had predicted Harry was going to die in the same year. He was still alive, but her biggest admirers seemed to forget that. 

"Yes," she continued, nodding sadly. "I see a year of many hardships ahead." She suddenly looked over at Harry and Ron and shook her head, her eyes filled with sorrow and sadness, as they often seemed to be when looking at Harry. "You should both take the time to appreciate the ones you hold dear, for one of them will be gone by the time this school year has ended." 

Parvati Patil and Lavender Brown looked over at them and shook their heads sadly. Harry knew what they were thinking; something would happen to Hermione. 

"At least she's not predicting your death," Ron whispered, when Trelawney moved her attention to Dean Thomas, to let him know that he could expect to be seriously injured before the month was over. 

"Small comfort," Harry whispered back. "Now everyone is going to be staring at Hermione and shaking their heads." 

Ron grinned. "That's not so bad. She doesn't like Professor Trelawney; she won't take it seriously at all. Besides, Hermione isn't the only person around we both like. The twins are here, and don't forget Goku." 

A scene from Hagrid's class earlier, replayed instantly in Harry's mind. When Goku was blasted by Vegeta. He shivered slightly and stopped smiling. _I wonder if-_ He shook his head, before the thought could fully form. There was no point in getting upset about Professor Trelawney, her record at predicting the future was pretty pathetic. 

Then again, there was the time last year where she had gone into a trance state and made the prediction that Voldemort was rising again. Even Dumbledore agreed it was genuine, once Harry had told him about it. However, that was just once, and she hadn't seemed to fall in any trances today. 

Once she had given out her predictions of misfortune for the coming year (at least today's version) she gave all of them a complicated chart and had them begin to plot the exact alignment of all the planets at their birth. She kept coming over to Harry and Ron while they were attempting to figure theirs out. 

"Oh dear," she said softly, as she looked down at Harry's chart. "As you can clearly see, Saturn was in the pinnacle of power at your birth," she nodded as well, as if just saying the words was not enough. "It explains so much." 

"Like what?" Harry asked, more because he felt it was expected of him, than an inborn desire to know the answer. 

She waved her hand in the air in a languid fashion. "Your dark hair, the tragedy that follows so closely to you. It's so easy to see, you have had such a difficult life, and while I wish I could say that time will make it all easier, I would be amiss in doing so. Life will always be a series of tragedies for you, Mr. Potter." 

With that cheerful news, she moved over to Seamus and began explaining to him that Jupiter had the most influence on him. 

"Ooh, a life filled with tragedy," Ron whispered. "You're doomed." 

Harry looked over at Ron's chart. "Where was Saturn when you were born?" 

"Hiding behind Uranus," Ron replied promptly. He looked over Harry's chart. "Oh, the moon was half-full. That means you're only a half-wit." 

Harry suppressed his snickers, knowing if Professor Trelawney heard, she would not be pleased. She expected everyone to take her class very seriously. Of course, that meant that almost anything anyone said was extremely funny. "Stop it," he whispered. 

Ron grinned, but went back to working on his chart. 

It seemed to take forever, but finally class ended. Unfortunately, a wise crack from Ron to Lavender, which Professor Trelawney overheard, earned them a huge amount of homework. This put Ron in a bad mood, which Harry decided not to make worse by pointing out it was mostly his fault. Ron already knew, why make it worse? 

"She's a pain," Ron grumbled as they made their way towards the Great Hall, where students were already gathering for dinner. Hermione was already sitting down, looking at one of her books when they finally managed to get inside. 

"How was Divinations?" she asked, brightly. 

"Don't ask," was Harry's advice. Ron just shrugged and continued to look upset. 

"You should drop it and take something useful," she suggested. "Arithmancy is really good. I've learned so much from Professor Vector." 

Ron just shook his head. 

Dinner was well underway when Goku and Vegeta both came into the Great Hall. Goku was beaming happily, Vegeta looked annoyed. "That was kinda fun, wasn't it?" Goku was saying to him. "You're lucky though. You won't have to take extra classes for long, you know more than I do. Boy, does dinner smell good!" 

"It was not fun," Vegeta growled. "And in the future, Kakarotto, I would appreciate it if you just _left me alone_." He turned and stormed over to the Slytherin table. Even though there were never chairs assigned at the table, Vegeta had sat at the same place every time. Today, Malcolm Baddock was sitting there. When he saw Vegeta coming closer, he turned pale and quickly rose from the chair, grabbing his plate, and moving down several seats. Vegeta nodded curtly, and sat down and the newly vacated place, grabbed an empty plate, and began filling it. 

"Vegeta, you keep forgetting, my name is _Goku_!" Goku called after him. If he was disturbed by Vegeta's rudeness, he didn't show it, but instead bounded over to the table and happily slid into the seat they had saved for him. "Hi guys!" 

Hermione, Harry, and Ron greeted him. "What was that all about?" Ron added to his greeting and nodding to indicate Vegeta. 

"Oh, he's upset," Goku said, with a shrug then lowered his voice slightly. "I'm really starting to think he doesn't like me." 

Ron and Harry looked at each other quickly, trying not to laugh. Then, they turned their attention back to Goku. "What happened in the class?" Harry asked 

"Well, we had catch up for Tranfigurations, today," Goku said, his mouth tripping a bit on the unfamiliar word. "The first thing Professor McGonagall did was turn a book into a bunny rabbit, which was neat. But she said we wouldn't learn that stuff till much later." 

"Yeah, that sounds about right," Ron said, remembering their first year, when she had turned her desk into a pig. "But what happened with Vegeta?" 

"I'm getting to that," Goku said, as he started grabbing serving plates and filling up his own plate. "Boy am I starved. Anyway, oh look, chicken! I'll bet it won't be as good as your mom's, Ron, but it still looks wonderful. I'm so hungry." He reached for the plate of roasted chicken and started piling it onto his plate. "Anyways, so she had us work on turning a matchstick into a needle first. Vegeta did pretty good with that. He made a really sharp needle, except that it didn't have an eye, which I think is important if you want to sew." 

Harry and Ron nodded. Hermione looked a bit impatient, but Ron gave her a look and shook her head. They had learned over the summer that Goku told a story his way, and rushing him wasn't always the best thing to do. 

"Were you able to do it?" Harry asked, remembering his first Transfigurations class, where he barely managed to make his matchstick turn silver, never mind into an entire needle. 

"Not really," Goku said, "But I did turn the matchstick into a tree." 

"A what?" Hermione asked, looking startled. 

"A tree," Goku repeated. "It wasn't a huge tree, but it was a tree. I thought Professor McGonagall would be upset, but she wasn't. She didn't give me full credit, but she almost seemed impressed. She said she'd never seen a student do that. Vegeta wasn't happy." 

"How could you have turned a matchstick into a tree?" Hermione asked. 

Goku shrugged. "I don't know; I just did it. It was like my wand didn't want me to make a needle, it wanted me to make a tree instead, so I did." 

"Why wasn't Vegeta happy?" Ron asked. 

"I don't know," Goku admitted, reaching for the potatoes and gravy. "I think because Professor McGonagall wasn't upset. He told me I was an idiot, and Professor McGonagall told him that wasn't nice and took five points from Slytherin." 

Ron and Harry looked at each other and grinned. "That would explain it then," Ron said. 

Goku shook his head. "I don't think so. 'Cause after that, my tree caught fire and Vegeta was able to do this spell thingy that put out the tree real quickly. I guess it still had more matchstick in it than I thought. Anyway, so the Professor gave him ten points for Slytherin. Besides that, Professor McGonagall told him he's more caught up than I am, so he's only going to have to take extra classes for a couple weeks. I'm going to be stuck with them until next year, probably. So I don't get why he's upset. I think he's just naturally grumpy." He looked down at his plate, which was about ready to topple over with food, then back at Harry and Ron with an expression of total longing. "Can I eat now? Please? I'm _starved!_" 

"Sure," Harry said. 

"Thanks!" Goku tore into his dinner as if he hadn't eaten in a week, rather than just a few hours ago. 

Harry, Ron, and Hermione were finished well before Goku, so they left the table earlier. As they were leaving the hall, Ron remembered their conversation from lunch. "Let's find a place where we can talk," he suggested. 

They went up to the Gryffindor common room. A few of their classmates were gathered, but for the most part, the room was quiet. They found three overstuffed chairs over by the fireplace and sat down. "So, what did you want to tell us?" Hermione asked, softly. 

"Yeah," Ron added. "What did you over-hear?" 

Harry looked around carefully. Lee Jordan was playing a card game Dean Thomas and Lavender Brown. They were obviously engrossed in the game. The only other folks in the room were the twins, who had greeted them, but were also watching the game. Harry nodded, and then explained to his friends what he had overheard outside the train, about Vegeta and his "Father." 

"Huh?" Ron said, when he finished. "So Vegeta claimed that he and Crabbe's uncle weren't related at all?" 

Harry nodded. "And Crabbe's uncle didn't disagree at all. In fact, he said he couldn't have been prouder of Vegeta if he had been his blood. Vegeta didn't seem happy with that idea, either." 

Ron whistled. "That's kinda weird." 

"You can't use the telly card unless you have an electricity card in use," Jordan suddenly said in a loud voice, which interrupted them for a moment. 

"Why not?" Lavender asked, frowning. 

"Because a tellys won't run without electricity," Fred explained. "Take it back and play an electricity card this turn. Next turn you can play the telly card." 

Harry looked over at the table for a brief moment. He could see an image of a small TV floating in front of Lavender, but it looked dark. She took a card in her hand, which made the TV disappear, and put it off to the side, then selected another card and put it down in front of her. A blue, crackling light rose from the card. Harry shook his head, temporarily forgetting what he was doing. "What is that?" he asked. 

Ron looked over to the table, and then shook his head. "They're playing _Muggles, The Unaware_. It's a card game someone invented that got real popular over the summer, I guess. Fred and George play it sometimes." 

Hermione looked over herself, briefly, then back to Harry. "It is rather odd that Vegeta is posing as Crabbe's uncle's son, but maybe there is a good reason for it." 

"Like what?" Harry asked. 

Hermione shrugged. "I haven't really thought of that, but there must be a reason. Maybe both of Vegeta's parents were killed, and maybe Vincent's uncle was a good friend of his family. And maybe Vegeta's father is a Muggle... You know how the Slytherins and that whole group are about 'mixing blood.' Maybe Crabbe figured Vegeta would have an easier time, since his parents are both dead, posing as his own son by blood. You said he said he was really proud of Vegeta. That would imply he has some sort of affection for him." 

Ron snorted. "That is one of the wildest stories I've ever heard." 

Harry frowned. "I don't know, Hermione. I sort of got the feeling that Crabbe's uncle was... afraid of Vegeta. I don't know why. He's still just a kid." 

"A pretty powerful kid," Ron reminded him. "And he's not stupid, if he's catching up to missing three years so easily." 

"He could have been tutored at home," Hermione pointed out. "If one of his parents were a wizard or witch, they might have been teaching him. And that thing he did today with Goku was powerful, no doubt about that. I just wish I knew what spell it was. You're right about him being smart though, he's in my Arithmancy class too, and you'd never know this was his first year at Hogwarts by how he acted in class today. He was even able to answer some of the professor's questions easily." 

"That's why you're fascinated with him!" Ron said, "For once, there might be someone in this school who's as smart as you! He's your competition!" 

Hermione gave Ron a look that could have curdled cream. "Don't be ridiculous," she snapped. "I'm not fascinated with him." 

Ron laughed and fell into an exaggerated, but fairly good imitation of Hermione. "Oh, stop it!" he said, in an unnaturally high voice. "Quit saying mean things about poor Vegeta. The boy just lost his mother! Besides, he's soooo smart!" 

Hermione's eyes narrowed into steely slits and her nostrils flared, but she said nothing. 

Harry unwisely chuckled at Ron's imitation, but also decided to help her out. "She made the comments about us being hard on him at lunch," he reminded Ron. "Before she took Arithmancy. Since Care of Magical Creatures was a total disaster, I doubt she could tell he was brilliant from that class alone, and that was the only class we had with him." 

Hermione looked at Harry with an expression of gratitude. 

"Aw, smart people can sniff each other out," Ron said. Hermione glared at him again, with a fiery gaze. Ron gulped and scratched his head. "Okay, okay, I'll stop. I'm just teasing. Blimey, Hermione, lighten up!" 

Hermione just sniffed, her arms crossed over her chest. An uncomfortable silence fell over the three of them for a moment, then her arms uncrossed and she stared into the fire for a bit. When she looked back at them, her expression was normal again. "I'm not fascinated with him," she said, carefully. "But I am interested. You have to admit, it's unusual. This is our fourth year at Hogwarts and this is the first time we've ever had someone just transfer here in the middle of our schooling." 

"What about Goku?" Ron pointed out. 

"That only makes it stranger," Hermione said. "No one for three years, then suddenly, two." 

Harry had been wondering about that himself, but since he hadn't drawn any conclusions, he decided it was best not to mention it. 

"Goku's different," Ron said. "He wasn't living anywhere near here, it must have taken longer for Hogwarts to realize he had the gift." 

"So why didn't a magic school where he's from send an invitation?" Hermione pointed out. 

"Because-" Ron began, and then stopped. "I don't know," he admitted. "But geesh, Goku's a good guy. We all like him, don't go thinking he's here for some sinister reason. I mean, Professor Dumbledore brought him to our place himself this summer!" 

"I'm not saying there is anything bad about Goku!" Hermione said, shaking her head. "I'm just saying the whole thing is a little unusual." 

"Or, maybe we're just making a lot out of nothing," Harry said. "Maybe everything is just a weird coincidence." 

"Then why does Vegeta hate Goku so much?" Ron asked. 

Hermione rolled her eyes again. "Ron, you have to admit, Goku's a bit much. He's a nice kid and I like him, but he's too... _Goku_ at times. He speaks up when everyone else is being quiet. He says exactly what's on his mind no matter what the circumstances. He's like... well; he's kinda like Howard. He means well, but he's a bit too much." 

"I think he's fine," Ron muttered. "He's my friend." 

"I think he's fine too," Hermione said, sounding a bit exasperated. "But that doesn't mean everyone does. Vegeta is obviously more... controlled, more reserved. I wouldn't be surprised if his parents were very strict with him. Don't speak until spoken to, and all that sort of stuff. And along comes Goku, who is the polar opposite of that. He speaks whenever he feels like it and doesn't care if it's not the 'right time' or not. You have to admit, if you were used to everything being quiet and sedate, someone like Goku could get on your nerves." 

Ron frowned; obviously not enjoying thinking that someone might not like Goku. "I guess," he finally said, speaking slowly. "And we'd better drop this, now." He looked towards the entryway. 

Harry didn't even have to look, because he could hear Goku's voice. "Hi, everyone!" he called out. 

The twins and the card players greeted him. He paused by the table to watch for a moment, looking fascinated at the tiny, translucent objects that were hovering near the players. "Neat," he said, nodding his head, then walked over to where Harry, Ron, and Hermione were sitting. 

"Hi!" he greeted them. "Wasn't dinner great?" 

They returned his greeting and nodded in agreement. He sat down on the arm of Hermione's chair. "Whatcha doing?" 

"Just talking," Ron said, a little too quickly. "About school and stuff." 

"Oh," Goku nodded, and then frowned. "Can one of you come with me?" 

"Where are you going?" Hermione asked. 

"To Dumbledore's office," Goku said. "I-I've got some questions, and he told me I could stop by today and ask him, if I wanted to, and I want to." 

"Why do you want one of us to go with you?" Ron asked. "You can go yourself." 

"Yeah, I know," Goku, said, running his fingers through his hair, and grinning. "But I don't really know where it is... and, well, this school is confusing. Vegeta and I got lost four times coming back from the catch up class. I've got some homework I have to do, and I'll never get a chance to do it if I get lost finding Dumbledore's office. You guys have been here for years, you won't get lost." 

Harry grinned, remembering his first year and the many times he had gotten lost trying to get to classes, or even back to the Gryffindor tower. "I'll go with you," he volunteered. 

"What about your homework?" Hermione reminded him. 

"We won't be forever," Harry said, rising to his feet. "I'll meet you guys back here." 

"I'm going to the library," Hermione said. "I want to check something." 

"Oh _boy!_" Ron said, with mock enthusiasm. "I guess we'll meet you guys in the _library_." 

  


When they got to the gargoyle, Goku scratched his head. "He told me the password... but I can't remember it. Lemme think." 

"When did he tell you the password?" Harry asked. 

"When I went up and asked him if I could stop by his office later this evening," Goku explained, his brow furrowed as he tried to think of the password as well. "It was right after I ate." 

Harry tried not to laugh. It was obviously less than an hour, probably a great deal less than an hour since Goku had heard the password, yet he couldn't remember it. "Carmel," he said to the door. "Uhm, taffy, lemon drops..." 

"Carmel?" Goku looked at him. "Taffy? Huh?" 

The gargoyle didn't move. "Dumbledore usually uses some type of candy for a password," Harry explained. "I was just seeing if I could figure it out." 

Goku frowned, then brightened considerably. "Candy, now I remember! Pingu!" 

The Gargoyle moved aside, and the wall split. "Pingu?" Harry asked, scratching his head. 

Goku nodded. "It's chocolate candy, shaped like little penguins. It's really good." They climbed onto the long, spiral staircase that moved smoothly upward. 

"Wow, this is so great!" Goku was looking around in amazement, reminding Harry of the first time he had been here, in his second year. Of course, Harry had been in trouble at the time, or at least thought he was, but he had been quite amazed despite that. Goku, going here on an invitation, was absolutely enthralled. 

Professor Dumbledore was not in his office, so Harry sat down to wait. Goku looked around with obvious fascination. "Wow, this place is neat." He saw the sorting hat and ran over. "Hi hat!" He put it on, grinning. "Glad to see me?" A few seconds of silence, then Goku said, "No, I'm fine. I'm happy in Gryffindor, I just wanted to say hi." He kept the hat on and walked around the room, looking at the portraits of former headmasters of Hogwarts, making various comments. "Look at that guy, he's got a funny nose! Oooh, that guy looks strong, I wonder if he was a good fighter?" The portrait of the long-nosed former headmaster frowned as if he thought it was a bit rude of Goku to point out something so obvious and unflattering. The one whose strength was complimented looked quite flattered. 

Harry could not hear how the hat responded to Goku's comments, but smiled anyway. He could imagine the hat wondering if Goku was questioning the judgment of putting him into Gryffindor. 

Fawkes saw Harry and flew off his perch, coming over to rest near him. Harry reached down and gave him a pet on the head. "Hello, Fawkes." 

"Wow, a bird!" Goku came running over and sat down in the chair next to Harry and began stroking Fawkes' back. "He's a big bird. Pretty too." 

Harry grinned, remembering the first time he'd seen Fawkes. Getting ready to be reborn again, Fawkes had looked more like a half-plucked turkey than a proud Phoenix. "He's a Phoenix," he told Goku. 

"Neat," Goku nodded. "I've heard of Phoenixes, but I've never met one before. Nice birdie." He looked upward to the brim of the sorting hat. "Do you like the bird, Hat?" 

Harry could have sworn he heard the hat sigh, but it said nothing out loud. Harry had to suppress a laugh. He could imagine that the hat was quite used to a life of mostly solitude and here was Goku to shake things up. 

The door opened, and Professor Dumbledore came in. He looked at Harry and Goku, a bit puzzled for a moment, and then smiled. "Ah, yes, Goku, I told you to drop by. Nice to see you too, Harry." 

"Goku didn't know how to get here," Harry said quickly. "So I brought him. If you want, I'll leave." 

"That's up to Goku," Dumbledore said, "He's the one with the questions." 

"I don't mind if he stays," Goku said, grinning. "I just have a few questions." 

Dumbledore nodded. As he walked past them, to his desk, he removed the hat from Goku's head. "I think it might be easier to ask questions without this, don't you?" he asked, as he placed the hat back on the shelf behind his desk and sat down. 

Goku shrugged. "I dunno, maybe. I like talking to the hat. It's the first talking hat I ever met. Do you mind if I come here to talk to the hat more? I'd imagine it would get awful boring, just sitting on a shelf waiting once a year to be used." 

"I've been known to occasionally talk with the hat," Dumbledore said, with a gleam in his eye. "But I'll tell you what, Goku. If the hat ever wants to talk to you, I'll find you and let you know. Is that all right?" 

Goku thought for a moment, then nodded. "Okay, that sounds fair." 

Dumbledore looked towards Harry for a brief moment and winked so quickly, Harry barely caught it. Then he turned his attention back to Goku. "Go ahead, ask your questions." 

"What makes the forest dangerous?" Goku asked. "I mean, I've been in lots of forests and stuff and I've never been in any real danger." 

"These forests are most likely a bit different than the ones you've been in," Dumbledore said. "And I know you're a lot stronger than most children your age, but the rule is for everyone. I can't break it just for you." 

Goku thought about this for a bit, then sighed. "I guess. I'd really love to see it sometime." 

"Well, perhaps someday you might," Professor Dumbledore said, looking over at Harry. "I do recall Harry here getting to go there one night as part of a punishment." 

Harry shivered remembering that night. It was his very first year at Hogwarts. That was also the first time he ever saw Voldemort, since the attack that killed his family. He had gone into the woods a second time, this one without being punished, and had almost been killed by giant spiders. He was rather hoping he could avoid the forest for his remaining years at the school. 

"However," Dumbledore continued smoothly. "Getting detention is not a goal you should work towards, Goku. I think it would be in your best interests not to attempt to pursue the forests." 

"Okay." Goku sighed; looking a little crestfallen, but then smiled. "My next question is that I'd like to know why I can't play Quidditch on the Flying Nimbus? I mean, you folks even use brooms called 'Nimbus' so why can't I play? I know I'd have to try out and all, but if I could make it, I think I'd like to play." 

"Quidditch is always played on a broom," Dumbledore said, gently. "There are no exceptions in the rules at all." 

"That doesn't seem right!" Goku protested. "Are you sure there's no way I can play?" 

"Of course not," Dumbledore said. "Soon enough you'll have flying lessons with Madam Hooch. Learn to fly a broom correctly and you're welcome to try-out for the team. Perhaps next year, if you study hard. Harry was able to join his first year, but Harry is very gifted when it comes to broomstick flying." 

Goku sighed. "No bending the rule, huh?" 

"No, sorry." Professor Dumbledore's expression was extremely sincere, even if his eyes were twinkling. 

"Okay. We'll see if I can learn to fly a broom then." Goku nodded, closing his eyes for a moment, and Harry could almost imagine him making a checkmark on his mental list. 

"Any other questions, Goku?" 

Goku thought carefully for a moment, then nodded. "Yeah. One more." 

"What is it?" 

"Well, uh," Goku paused, rubbing the back of his head with his palm. "I just want to know, do I have to get lots of action here? Like, if I don't, will I be kicked out?" 

Harry turned to stare at him, not having a clue what he was talking about. Professor Dumbledore looked at him as well. "Action?" he repeated. 

Goku nodded. "When I was talking to Muten Roshi about coming here, he told me that I really needed to come here, so I could meet lots of girls." He continued rubbing his head, looking a bit embarrassed. "He said I was old enough now that I really needed to start getting some serious action. But, uh, I really don't know what that means. I thought maybe it meant the girls here really knew how to fight, but I've met some of them, and they don't seem like they're fighters." 

For a brief moment, Harry really thought Professor Dumbledore was going to burst out laughing. It was taking everything Harry had not to himself, and he knew if Dumbledore even chuckled it would be all over. But Professor Dumbledore closed his eyes for a moment instead. When he opened them, his expression was serious. "Ah yes, I've forgotten how Master Roshi is," he said. "He _would_ think that was of great importance." 

"Yeah, but _is_ it?" Goku asked. "Is meeting girls and getting action something you have to do in this school? 'Cause if it is, someone is going to have to tell me what it is and how to do it." 

Harry quickly raises his hand to his mouth, as if to scratch his lower lip. He turned his head away from Goku and tried to suppress his laughter. He could feel his face turning red and his shoulders shaking. He hoped Goku wouldn't notice and ask. 

Professor Dumbledore, however, was much better at containing his own amusement. He didn't look anywhere in Harry's direction, which Harry was really grateful for. He had the feeling if he looked into Professor Dumbledore's eyes, he would lose it entirely. 

Dumbledore cleared his throat. "No, Goku, 'getting action' is not a requirement for any student of Hogwarts. We expect you to work hard in your studies and learn all that you can. Yes, we expect you to socialize and enjoy the company of all the students, be they male or female, but no one expects or requires you to take it any further than that. Does that answer your questions satisfactorily?" 

Goku nodded. Harry felt he had regained enough composure to look back towards Goku and noted he looked very relieved. "Thanks, Professor Dumbledore. I was worried about that." 

"Well, worry no more," Dumbledore assured him. "'Getting some action' will not be required of you. Do you have any other questions?" 

Goku thought carefully for a moment, and then shook his head. "No, I think that's it." 

"Well then," Dumbledore rose, indicating the conversation was over. "I think it's time you both went to the library to join Ron and Hermione. You both have homework and soon it will be time to go to bed." 

He walked them to the door, and closed it behind them. Although Harry was pretty sure Dumbledore's office was soundproof, he would have sworn, just before the door clicked shut that he heard the Professor chuckling. 

As they rode down the stairs, Goku looked at Harry. "How did he know we were going to meet Ron and Hermione at the library?" 

Harry shrugged. "Hermione is almost always at the library," he explained. "And, well, there's something you should know about Dumbledore." 

"What?" 

Harry grinned. "Sometimes he just _knows_ things." 

  


End of Chapter Nine 

  



	12. Professor Chikara Daikon

Chapter Ten

**Professor Chikara Daikon**

It seemed that Tuesday would pass without incident until Potions class, when Goku dropped his wand into the cauldron he was working on. The liquid within burst into flames and shot straight out of the pot, giving several students brilliant green boils, which Snape had to spend most of the class fixing. As a result, they never had a chance to finish their potion and the whole project had to be scraped. Snape took fifty points from Gryffindor for Goku's carelessness and gave them a huge amount of homework. Goku's wand survived the dip into the potion without a scratch, which was a good thing, but still didn't do much to cheer Goku up.

"I'm really sorry, guys," Goku, said, as they made their way to the Great Hall for lunch. "I cost Gryffindor fifty points." He had learned rather quickly, how much points meant to the students of Hogwarts and was dismayed that he had cost them so many in his first week.

"It's okay," Hermione said. "Snape just looks for excuses to take points away from Gryffindor. We'll make it up, you'll see.

"Yeah," Ron agreed. "Snapes was just looking for a reason to blow up and you gave it to him. He ought to be thanking you for letting him work out his aggression."

Goku smiled weakly at this, but still looked unhappy. "He's so grumpy. Why?"

"It's just Snape," Harry said. "He only likes the Slytherins. He's the Slytherin house head, and he favors them above everybody. Plus, he _hates _Gryffindor. Trust me, Goku, once word gets around what happened, no one will blame you for it. And fifty points isn't that bad. We've lost more than that in one shot." He and Ron and Hermione looked at each other quickly remembering their first year, where a night out of bed ended up costing Gryffindor fifty points for _each_ of them. It had been a miserable time for all of them, Harry especially because he was so well known.

"It's the beginning of the year, Goku," Hermione repeated. "We'll make those up quickly, you'll see."

"Yeah," Ron said, his eyes glowing brightly. "You wait till I'm on the Quidditch team. With Harry as Seeker, my brothers as Beaters, and me as a Chaser, we'll get lots of points for Gryffindor. You'll see, those fifty points won't make a tiny bit of difference, we're still going to get the house cup and the Quidditch cup."

Harry and Hermione smiled. Ron was getting very excited over Quidditch try-outs and they were still almost two weeks away. They could just imagine what he'd be like when the actual day arrived.

The entire student population seemed to be attempting to enter the line for entry to the Great Hall for lunch and there was more than the normal share of jostling. Two younger students were towards the front of the line, looking a bit terrified of all the rushing around. Harry recognized them from the sorting, but he couldn't remember both of their names. He was pretty sure the girl's name started with an E, maybe Ellen or something, but the boy's name escaped him completely. He knew they were also both in Hufflepuff.

"Lucky them, they must have gotten out of class earlier," Ron muttered, spotting both of them too.

"Make way, make way!" Someone shouted. Harry groaned and turned around. Draco Malfoy and his buddies were pushing their way to the front.

"Malfoy, wait like everyone else!" Harry said.

Malfoy and his goon squad pretended not to hear Harry, and worked their way past them to the front of the line. Draco started to push the two first years out of the way. "Hey Eleanor, hey Owen, thanks for saving our place," he said, smirking. "We really appreciate it."

"Yeah, we appreciate it," Crabbe echoed in dull agreement. "But you can go now."

"But we were here first-" Owen began, even though Eleanor was trying to pull him away. "Hey!"

"You don't want to tangle with them," Eleanor whispered.

"That's right," Malfoy said, nodding. "You're a smart girl, move on."

Goku looked over at them, his eyes narrowing. The lethargic feeling over losing fifty points seemed to vanish as he saw Malfoy and his gang with the first year students. "That's not right!" he said, loudly. "They were there first!"

Malfoy whipped his head around to see who was talking. When he saw Goku glaring at him, his eyes narrowed. "Stay out of this, Son, it's none of your business."

"It is if I make it my business," Goku said. His own eyes were beginning to narrow, reminding Harry, Ron, and Hermione of how he had acted on the train. He began pushing his way through the line.

"Uh oh," Ron muttered.

"Yeah," Hermione agreed, trying to grab onto Goku's arm. "C'mon, Goku, don't start a fight."

"I don't _start_ fights," Goku said, twisting his arm away easily. "But that's just wrong. Those kids were there first."

"Oh no, here we go again," Hermione said with a sigh.

"Stay out of this, dog-boy!" Malfoy said, reaching for his wand.

Harry had been expecting Malfoy to do just that and had readied his own wand. As Malfoy held his up, he waved his own and shouted "_Expelliarmus!_" The wand flew from Draco's hand, hit the wall, and disappeared. Malfoy was knocked to the floor.

Crabbe and Goyle looked confused for a moment, as if they didn't know if they should help Malfoy to his feet or go and fetch the wand. They stared at each other for a moment, in confusion. "Get my wand!" Malfoy shouted at them.

They began looking around for it. Malfoy rose to his feet staring at Harry now. "That does it, Potter, I'm gonna--"

"You're gonna, what?" Goku asked. His tail was curved into a question mark and waving ever so slowly, as if he were stalking Malfoy. "You're the one who started this."

"Where's the wand?" Goyle was shouting. "Give him back his wand!"

"Looking for this?" Someone said.

Everyone turned to the sound of the voice. Vegeta was standing by the wall, holding up Malfoy's wand.

Crabbe and Goyle looked relieved. "Give it back," Crabbe said, heading towards him.

Vegeta shook his head and twirled it his fingers lazily. "Not until after lunch."

"Ha, ha, very funny," Crabbe fumed. "Give it back, _cousin_." He had made his way over to Vegeta and lunged for the wand.

Vegeta whipped his hand away, holding the wand between his thumb and fingers. "Uh uh uh," he said, shaking his head. "I _said_ after lunch."

"Give it back!" Crabbe demanded again, trying to grab for it.

Vegeta whipped it out of reach again. "Be careful, _cousin_," he said, his eyes narrowing. "The way I'm holding this wand… just a _tiny_ bit of pressure, and it will snap like the useless twig it really is. I don't think Malfoy wants that, do you?"

Crabbe's eyes widened for a moment, as it slowly sunk in what Vegeta planned. He looked over at Malfoy for help.

"Give me back the wand, Vegeta," Malfoy said as he started to head towards Vegeta. "Enough is enough."

"Exactly," Vegeta growled, nodding. "Enough _is_ enough and I've had enough of your stupid games. I'm keeping the wand until after lunch. And if you run and tell anyone I have it, I will pretend it's your neck and snap it into a million pieces. Then, I'll tell whoever you bring in authority what _really_ happened here, how you were picking on a couple of first years, and how you pulled out your wand, even though it's forbidden to use magic between classes."

"He started it," Malfoy lied, pointing to Harry. "He had his wand out first. I was just protecting myself."

"Oh, really?" Vegeta's lips curled into a smirk. "That's not what _I _saw. What _I_ saw was you pulling out your wand, and getting so worked up, that as _you_ went to raise it, _you _dropped it. Fortunately, _I_ was quick enough to grab it. That's what _I_ saw. I never saw Harry or his friends do anything but attempt to keep Kakarotto from attacking you, for which you ought to be damned grateful." He paused and looked around at the students. "Did anyone else see anything different?" he growled.

Everyone but Goku shook his or her heads quickly. There was no great love for Malfoy among the other Hogwarts students; even his own housemates didn't seem to always love him. Vegeta's suggestion that something different happened instead went unchallenged. "I didn't think so," Vegeta said, nodding.

"Why do you keep calling me Kakarotto?" Goku said. "I keep telling you, my name is Goku!"

"What's going on here?" A voice interrupted the crowd. It was Professor McGonagall. Everyone moved aside to let her through. "What is all this commotion about?" she demanded.

Malfoy opened his mouth as if to speak. Vegeta shot him a look that would have thawed an iceberg in an instant as he placed Malfoy's wand into his pocket. Malfoy's head lowered sullenly. "Nothing," he muttered.

"Nothing?" Professor McGonagall repeated, her lips set in a straight line. "It's rather obvious to me, Mr. Malfoy, that _something_ happened here."

"Something did," Goku said. Harry, Ron, and Hermione looked at each other and groaned. Was Goku going to blurt out everything? They'd all be in trouble then. "Those boys," Goku paused to point at Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle, "were picking on those kids," he gestured to Owen and Eleanor, who were looking worried and scared. "I wanted to stop them, but Vegeta beat me to it."

Harry, Ron, and Hermione exhaled sharply. It wasn't the _entire_ truth, but maybe it was as Goku saw it. Harry just silently prayed that Goku wouldn't bring up the whole wand issue. Taking another student's wand was not considered acceptable.

"Really?" McGonagall turned to Malfoy and his friends, her brow arched. "Is this true?"

Malfoy hesitated for a moment, obviously debating what would be the best thing to do in this situation. As he looked over the crowd of students, he realized he wasn't going to find too many people on his side with this. Even his fellow Slytherins looked as if they were not too eager to feel Vegeta's wrath. "We were only kidding," he muttered.

"Fourth year students picking on first year students, I'm disgusted," Professor McGonagall said, her eyes narrowing dangerously. "Ten points from Slytherin for each of you." She turned to Vegeta and nodded. "But, ten points _for_ Slytherin for being willing to stand up against your own house for what was right. And five points to Gryffindor for Goku being willing to stop it as well."

Just as it was on the train, Goku seemed to suddenly snap back into place and become Goku again. He grinned. "Thanks, Professor McGonagall," he said. "Can my friends have points too? They were helping."

Professor McGonagall turned to Goku. Although she frowned, Harry could see a sparkle in her eyes. "Don't push it, Mr. Son," she said. But her voice didn't sound nearly as strict as it had with Malfoy. "Five points for Gryffindor, that's it."

She looked around at everyone. Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle hurried to the back of the line. Satisfied that order had been restored, she nodded and walked away.

Goku looked over at Vegeta and grinned. "Thanks, that was great!"

Vegeta shook his head and crossed his arms over his chest. "Don't get any ideas, Kakarotto," he snapped. "I wasn't helping you. I'm just hungry and I want to get into the hall for lunch. Nothing else, understand?"

Goku frowned for a moment, rubbed his head, and then grinned. "Okay, Vegeta, whatever you say. But will you please learn my name? It's _Goku_."

Vegeta turned away, ignoring him completely.

Owen and Eleanor, the first years that had been the cause of this whole situation were staring at Harry and his group with amazement. "Do you know who that is?" Eleanor said, grabbing on to Owens's arm. She spoke in a high, rather squeaky voice, as if she was getting over excited. "The one who made Draco Malfoy lose his wand, I mean."

"Yeah," Owen said, nodding. "That's _Harry Potter_. The boy who defeated You-Know-Who when he was just a _baby_!"

Harry sighed and shook his head. No matter what happened to him, it seemed like that was the only thing folks would ever remember about him, that he was the boy who defeated Lord Voldemort. Since he was so young when it happened, he couldn't even really remember it. Just little pieces of it, like a blinding green light.

"I can even see the scar!" Eleanor squeaked, pointing to his forehead.

"Are you kids going in or not?" Vegeta growled.

They finally were able to enter the Great Hall and take their seats. Goku seemed a little more cheerful, now that he had earned five points for Gryffindor. "That's only 45 now," he said, nodding. "Every little bit helps."

"See?" Ron said. "We told you it wasn't such a big deal. Once we get the Quidditch season underway, you'll see, it'll soon be like those fifty points never happened."

Hermione and Harry grinned to each other. Goku hadn't even seemed to hear Ron, because the food had just appeared and he was digging in.

The twins and Jordan came in and sat down across from Harry, Ron, Goku and Hermione. "How was Defense Against the Dark Arts?" Ron asked them.

The twins and Jordan looked at each other, then to Ron. "It's different," George said.

"Different, that doesn't say a whole lot." Ron snorted.

Lee Jordan grinned. "It's the _most_ different class I've ever taken here," he said.

"_Very_ different," Fred agreed.

"How is it different?" Hermione asked.

The twins and Jordan grinned again. "You'll just have to see for yourselves. Don't you have him tomorrow?" Harry, Ron, and Hermione all nodded. "Well, then, you'll see for yourselves, won't you?"

"That's a lot of help," Harry muttered.

More grinning. Ron finally shrugged. "They're just giving us a hassle," he muttered, glaring at them. "It's their idea of a joke."

"No, really it isn't," George, said, sounding extremely sincere for him. "Professor Daikon doesn't teach like any professor we've ever had. He's got a style all his own. And, he asked us not to discuss his class until he's had a chance to start with everyone. We're just trying to respect that." Considering the Weasley twins were Hogwarts' most notorious troublemakers and pranksters, it was saying something that they were actually respecting a teacher's wishes.

"Oh," Hermione nodded thoughtfully. "Well, if it's the teacher's wishes, we should respect that. We'll have him tomorrow, we'll see what it's all about then."

Ron gave her a sour look, which he then aimed at his brothers. "Figures, you won't even tell me and I'm your blood."

George and Fred shrugged. Fred's eyes gleamed. "Just following the professor's orders."

"Yeah," George agreed. "You wouldn't want us to disobey a professor."

"Cause you know we'd never do something like that."

"Never in a million years. It would be a disgrace for us to do so."

"And we'd never disgrace-"

"Oh, shut _up_," Ron interrupted. He turned his attention back to his lunch, ignoring his brothers and Lee Jordan for the rest of the meal.

After finishing his third helping, Goku looked at Harry. "Can I ask you a question?"

Harry nodded, as he took a swallow of pumpkin juice. "Sure, go ahead."

"Who is You-Know-Who?"

Harry was glad he had finished swallowing before Goku asked, because he might have choked if he hadn't. For some reason, he just wasn't expecting Goku to ask that question. Then he realized that Goku, much like himself, hadn't grown up in the magical community. He had probably never even heard of Lord Voldemort. And unlike Hermione and others, Goku wasn't the type to grab books from the library and look it up. Until now, he probably hadn't even cared. "Uhm, he's a very evil wizard," Harry explained.

"Oh, I know that," Goku said. "I've heard the Weasleys and others talk about him. Like those kids in the line did too. Everyone talks about the bad 'You-Know-Who' or the evil 'He-Whose-Name-Must-Not-Be-Mentioned', and I've heard all about how you were able to defeat him when you were just a little kid, cause your mother saved you. I've heard lots about that. The Weasleys told me all about it before you came to visit. That's how you got the scar." He pointed to Harry's forehead. "Everyone has told me lots of stuff. But what they haven't told me is what's this guy's _name_."

Harry suppressed a chuckle. He had wondered the same thing when he'd first been told about Lord Voldemort. He remembered having to cajole Hagrid into telling him, and when he had, Hagrid had looked very nervous, as if he expected Voldemort to appear the moment he said the name.

"It must be a really scary name if no one will tell me," Goku continued. "But I feel so dumb. People say, 'You-Know-Who' and I say, 'No, I don't know who, so tell me!' They say how his name can't be mentioned. But how am I supposed to know who You-Know-Who is, unless I know his _name_?"

Harry nodded. He leaned closer to Goku and whispered into his ear, "his name is Lord Voldemort, but-"

Before he could continue, Goku's eyes lit up and he let out a whooping noise. "Voldemort?" he gleefully shouted, "His name is _Voldemort_?"

A deadly silence washed over the Great Hall at the sound of 'You-Know-Whose' true name being yelled out by Goku. Everyone single person in the room stopped what they were doing and turned to stare at Goku.

Goku didn't seem to notice. "What a silly name!" he cried out, his voice filled with laughter. "_Vol_demort, _Vold_emort, Volde_mort_. It sounds like something that went wrong with cheese or something. 'I can't eat this, it's gone _Voldemort!_" Due to the extreme silence, his voice seemed to carry through the room and echo off the walls.

Several of the students and teachers began looking more than a bit uncomfortable. Many of the younger students (and a few of the older ones) began looking terrified. Eleanor and Owen began shaking. A first year Ravenclaw student burst into tears.

"Voldemort, Voldemort!" Goku continued, mindless of the shock he had caused. "How can you be scared of someone with a name like _Voldemort?_ It sounds like something that happens when you're sick. 'Sorry, I can't go to class today. I have to go to Madam Pomfrey's cause I'm _Voldemort_. I was up all night having _Voldemort_."

Hermione and Ron were staring at Goku with twin expressions of shock and dismay. Harry could feel heat flushing not only through his face, but also through his entire body. "Goku, cut it out!" he hissed.

But Goku was enjoying himself too much. "Voldemort, Voldemort, Voldemort. No _wonder_ people refer to him as You-Know-Who. He probably wants it that way; cause even he must _know _his name is so silly. _Voldemort!"_

"Goku!" In desperation, Harry tried to reach over and cover Goku's mouth with his hand. Goku twisted away easily. "_Voldemort!_"

A couple other students were crying now, and a few more looked close to tears. The rest looked stuck between shocked and horrified as over and over again, the name of the person every witch and wizard feared above all others was shouted through the Great Hall by an overly enthusiastic young man with a tail that wagged in total glee. "Make him _stop_," Owen moaned from the Hufflepuff table. "Something _bad _is going to happen if he just doesn't stop!"

"Goku!"

One voice rose over Goku's, penetrating through the hall. The voice did more than the shock or the crying had done. The voice managed to get Goku's attention. It was Dumbledore. "Yes?" Goku asked, turning to him.

"I need to see you for a moment. Would you come with me?" He rose from the table.

"Okay, whatever you say." Goku slid out of his seat and headed towards Professor Dumbledore. As he followed, he looked around and saw everyone staring at him. He frowned and rubbed his head, as if wondering why he was getting all this attention.

Harry stood up as well, to follow. "What, are you _crazy?"_ Ron whispered.

"I'm the one who told him the name," Harry explained. "It's my fault too."

"Yeah, you're crazy." Ron started to stand up. "I should come too."

"No, you stay here," Harry, said. "No sense in all of us getting into trouble. _You_ didn't tell him the name."

Ron hesitated, and then nodded, realizing Harry was right. Harry turned and ran to catch up with Goku and Professor Dumbledore. He could imagine the trouble they were in for, and just hoped he wouldn't be expelled. _Why can't I go through one year without worrying I'm going to get kicked out?_ he thought.

Professor Dumbledore led them outside the Great Hall, but not to his office. Instead, he stopped in the entryway, and turned to both of them.

"Professor Dumbledore, it's my fault," Harry said quickly. "I'm the one who told him the name."

"Yeah, but I'm the one who said it," Goku said. It seemed that he had finally figured out that it was his screaming of Lord Voldemort's name that had caused everyone in the hall to fall silent and for him to be taken out of there. "But you have to admit, Professor Dumbledore, it's such a silly name! Voldemort. Lord Voldemort." He giggled every time he said the name. "I thought it was going to be some great, scary, name and it's just _funny_. Voldemort, Voldemort, Voldemort."

"Goku, _stop!"_ Professor Dumbledore said, raising his voice louder than Harry had ever heard him do before.

Goku stopped laughing and looked at him. When he saw exactly how serious Professor Dumbledore looked, he sighed. The entire reality of the situation finally seemed to sink in. "I'm sorry. I really messed up, didn't I?"

Professor Dumbledore sighed and stroked his beard. "Goku, I actually believe that it's wrong to always refer to Lord Voldemort as 'He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named,' or 'You-Know-Who.' To refuse to call what we fear the most by its name is to invite the fear to deepen. One should never be afraid to call their fears by their proper names."

Goku nodded, his tail swishing back and forth. "Yeah, I can see that. You-Know-Who sounds a lot more frightening than Voldemort."

"And," Dumbledore continued, his eyes glittering a bit too brightly. "I would never forbid you to call him by his name, _if_ it were necessary." He held up his hand to stop Goku, who had opened his mouth again. Goku closed his mouth and let him continue. "However, there are many students whose lives have been tragically affected by Lord Voldemort. They have lost family members and other loved ones. I agree, if you look at it as simply a name, Voldemort might sound funny. But the terrible things the man did were _anything_ but funny."

Goku frowned and looked down. "I-I didn't think of that," he admitted, his voice much lower and very subdued for Goku. "I-I just…I just thought it was funny, that's all."

"Yes, I can understand that." Dumbledore's eyes still gleamed and Harry had the distinct impression there was a part of the man that found this situation more amusing than terrible. "However, since it is so upsetting I would ask that in the future you refrain from yelling his name over and over again and making humorous remarks about it."

"Oh-okay," Goku slowly said. "I-I'm sorry,"

"It will be all right," Dumbledore said, not unkindly. "It may take a bit, but I'm sure Professor McGonagall and the other professors are already calming down everyone. I would, however, suggest you don't go back in there right now. Lunch will be over soon anyway. By the time dinner comes around, it will be past history. Did both of you get enough to eat? I can make arrangements for more food, if you're still hungry."

Goku thought for a moment, and then shook his head. "Nah, I was going to take another helping, but I'm okay. And I don't need dessert."

Harry doubted that Goku really felt full, but didn't mention it. "I'm fine," he said. "And, I'm really sorry, Professor Dumbledore. It was me who told him the name, because he asked me. I didn't think-"

"You have nothing to be sorry for," Professor Dumbledore interrupted, his expression growing very serious. "He asked you a question and you answered it truthfully. I would expect nothing less from you. You didn't realize how—_humorous_ Goku would find it. You cannot be held responsible for that."

"Thank you," Harry said gratefully.

"Good. Well, this situation seems to be resolved," Professor Dumbledore nodded, seeming pleased that it was over. "I think I should return to see how the other professors are doing at restoring order." As he turned to enter the Great Hall again, Goku stopped him.

"Professor Dumbledore?" he asked.

Dumbledore stopped and turned back. " Yes, Goku?"

"Are you going to take points away from Gryffindor for this?"

He shook his head. "I see no reason to take points away for this," he said. "It was merely an honest misunderstanding. I don't think you had any idea the reaction it would cause, did you?"

"No sir," Goku said quickly.

"Then let's just say it was a bad experience and hope that we learn from it."

There was a little bit of tension in the Great Hall during dinner, but by Wednesday at breakfast, it seemed as if the incident was already disappearing from people's minds. By lunchtime, everyone was treating Goku normally.

"That's a relief," Ron said, as they sat down for lunch. "It was a little weird walking in here and getting stared at."

"Weird for us, but I'll bet Goku didn't even notice," Harry said.

"Notice what?" Goku asked.

After lunch was Defense Against the Dark Arts, which all the fourth year students were beginning to get curious about. The class was being held in a room no one had ever been to before, which was located off of a fourth floor corridor that no one had seemed to notice being there before. Yet, there it was, as plain as day. As they walked down it, only one door was visible on either side of the hallway.

"So, which one is the classroom?" Ron whispered.

Hermione looked at the door on the left, then walked across the hall and looked at the door on the right. "Well, this one has a sign that says Professor Daikon. I'll bet it's this one."

"Gee, you really think?" Ron said, rolling his eyes.

The room itself was the biggest classroom Harry had seen in Hogwarts. Along the back wall were three ledges, arranged in tiers, with tables and chairs for the students to sit at. In the front of the room was a large desk that faced the student's seats. Behind the professor's desk was a huge blackboard that ran across the entire room. He could smell faint traces of chalk powder. Except for the grey stonewalls and floor, the room looked more like a Muggle classroom than any other classroom Harry had seen in Hogwarts.

As the other students filed in, they looked around and then scrambled to find seats at the tables. The tables seemed to be made for two students. Harry and Ron found one together on the second tier, just left of the middle, and Goku and Hermione found one next to them, which put them right in the middle.

Everyone had just managed to find a seat when Professor Daikon walked into the room. Even for teaching classes, he didn't wear a robe. In fact, no one at Hogwarts ever saw him in a robe so far. He was wearing a pair of black jeans, and the same dragon hide boots he always seemed to wear. Above, he wore a dark maroon, long sleeved shirt that seemed to be made of silk and over that, he wore what seemed to be the same vest he had been wearing the day Harry and his friends had seen him in the Magical Creatures shop. His long hair was tied back with a leather thong, which wrapped around several inches of his hair. He wore the same red-tinted sunglasses he always wore, with the tiny button on one side.

He waited for a moment for everyone to settle down in his or her seats, before walking over to the blackboard. Then he picked up a piece of what looked like chalk, and wrote on it. But instead of the usual, scratching noise chalk made on a blackboard, the white printing came out smooth, neat, and completely noiseless. It almost seemed to be painted on the board, rather than written.

Everyone looked at what he had written:

Chikara Daikon 

When he finished writing, he turned around and pointed to it. "That is my name. And I don't really care if you call me by my first name or not, but the other professors seem to have some stupid rules about it, so if you're smart, you won't let them _hear_ you calling me Chikara. Understood?"

He waited for a moment. Everyone nodded, deciding he was waiting for some sort of response. He nodded as well and seemed satisfied. "My job, at least for this class, is to teach you how to defend yourself against the Dark Arts and those who use them. Anyone who doesn't like this idea, who doesn't want to learn how to defend yourselves _against_ them, is welcome to leave the room."

He waited again, looking around the room. His gaze fell a bit longer on Malfoy and his cronies and then on Vegeta. When none of them even flinched, he nodded again. "If any of you have any bright ideas of causing trouble in this class or undermining my authority, you can also leave now. I don't need troublemakers, you got that?"

This time, he looked straight at Vegeta, who was the only person sitting alone at a table, his arms crossed over his chest. He didn't seem the least bit phased by Professor Daikon's attention being focused entirely on him, and shrugged. Professor Daikon didn't seem happy by the shrug, but he accepted it.

"Now," Chikara Daikon continued, "I've been asking around and looking over the notes and files that your other Defense Against the Dark Arts teachers left behind and I've come to the conclusion. Your first two teachers taught you nothing of any use at all. Professor Lupin was the only one of the three you had that wasn't full of shit."

A gasp of surprise went through the classroom at the swearing. While the students themselves were known for doing some cursing (especially when they thought no one in authority could hear) for a professor to swear was almost unheard of. When Lavender Brown heard, she gasped a bit too deeply and coughed. Professor Daikon's head swiveled quickly, so he was looking in her direction. "Are you okay, Miss-"?

"Miss Brown," Lavender said, swallowing. "And I'm fine, I was just a bit… surprised."

"That I said shit?" Professor Daikon's lips curled into a smile that never quite reached his eyes. "Why? It's true. And, when you've seen what I have, done what I have, you learn pretty quickly to call it like it is. And Quirrell and Lockhart were so full of shit, they must have had to use spells to counteract flies from buzzing around them. I won't even dignify them by referring to them as professors, because they weren't. They were jokes to everyone, even themselves."

"And I suppose he thinks he's better," Draco whispered. He was on the third tier, one table to the left of Harry, so Harry and Ron were able to hear him, barely.

Professor Daikon looked quickly over in Malfoy's direction. "No, Mr. Malfoy, I don't _think_ I'm better. I _know_ I'm better. You got a problem with that?"

Draco slid down in his seat as if trying to disappear. Daikon continued looking at him with the same, penetrating gaze. He reached up and tapped the side of his glasses. Something seemed to flash across one of the lenses for a brief moment, so brief that Harry later wondered if he had imagined it. "Just what I thought, Mr. Malfoy. Your mouth likes to write checks your body can't cash. You might want to avoid that in this class, 'cause it could get you seriously hurt. Do you understand?"

Malfoy's lips set themselves in a thin, straight, line but he finally nodded. Harry could almost hear him thinking _Wait till I tell my father about this_. Harry had the feeling even if he had said the threat out loud; Professor Daikon would have not been impressed.

"Oh, please, Mr. Malfoy, I'm sure your father raised you better than that." Chikara said, a faint trace of a smirk playing on his lips. "You can do better than nod. Now, I'll tell you again that it would be in your best interest to keep your mouth shut in my class, do you understand?"

"Yes, Sir," Malfoy said, sounding surprisingly sincere for him at least.

Professor Daikon seemed satisfied and nodded. "Good. Well, since young Mr. Malfoy over here has questioned my qualifications, I might as well get that part out of the way. As Professor Dumbledore told you when I arrived, I have worked as an Auror for hire for the Ministry of Magic in this country. I've done the same thing in a lot of other countries as well, although sometimes they call it by different names. Miss Granger, you aren't going to get tested on this, you can put the pen down."

Hermione put down her quill and parchment, and looked slightly embarrassed. She had been writing down every word the Professor was saying.

"I do appreciate your enthusiasm though," Daikon, added, which restored her good humor quickly.

He looked around the room. "I've been doing this since I was younger than you are now. My father was an Auror, and still occasionally works for the Ministry of Magic when needed, although he's officially retired. He took me with him as he traveled about and I learned first-hand about dangerous creatures. Professor Lupin took care to teach you about most of the common, annoying ones. Boggarts aren't a lot of fun, but from what I understand, all of you are almost professionals with Boggarts. Anyway, he taught you most of the basics. Which are fine when everything is going well. I'm going to teach you to go beyond that. I'm going to teach you how to deal with the magical bad guys and girls who won't wait for an invitation to attack you. They'll just go right for the jugular and to hell with you, or with fighting fair."

He reached into a pocket on his pants and pulled out his wand. It was a bit shorter than most wands and was made of a very dark wood. Harry doubted it was "springy" or "swishy" it looked rather rigid to him. "See this? You all have one, right? Hold 'em up."

Everyone took out their wand and held them up. He looked around the room and nodded. "Good. Now, put them away, 'cause most of the time you won't need them in this class."

Another gasp of shock went through the class. Pavital's hand raised and Professor Daikon looked at her. "Yes?"

"Sir, how are we supposed to defend ourselves if we don't use our wands?"

Professor Daikon nodded. "Glad you asked. There's something you folks need to learn. A wand is merely a focal point for something inside of you. It helps magnify something within you, but the key is that most of it is _within_ you. The advantage of wands is that due to being made with the core of a powerful magic creature, it does magnify your inner energy, your inner magic, if you will. That's good. The bad part is that a wand is what we call an obvious, visible, focus. Meaning, others can see it easily and try to take it away. Which is bad for you if you've come to depend on it too much."

Everyone in the class looked at each other, but said nothing. There was something to what Professor Daikon was saying; if magic was only on the part of the wand, then anyone with a wand could be a wizard or a witch. But usually their wands were a major part of most classes.

The Professor waited patiently, giving everyone time to gasp and be surprised before he continued. "I suppose at this point a little demonstration is in order." He paused, reached into his pocket and pulled out a pair of thin, dragon hide gloves, which he drew over his hands. "Can I have a volunteer?"

Hermione, Justin, and Goku's hands shot up immediately. "Good," he nodded. "Five points to Hufflepuff and Gryffindor for both of you," he pointed to Goku and Justin, dismissing them, and looked at Hermione. "Miss. Granger, you first. Come up here."

Hermione walked up to the front of the classroom. "Okay, we're going to play make-believe," the professor explained, moving across the room, away from her. "You're going to be yourself, and I'm going to be a vampire. You're somewhere remote, minding your own business, and you see me coming for you." He started towards her, walking at a normal pace.

"Why doesn't he just turn into a bat and fly at her?" Millicent Bulstrode whispered to her seatmate, Blaise Zabini. Blaise snorted.

Professor Daikon whipped his head around. "Because I'm not one of those vampires who can turn into a bat," he snapped, holding up his hand to Hermione to stop the demonstration. "Yes, Miss Bulstrode, there are vampires who have other abilities, but can't turn into bats. Did I teach you something new today? Good, write your daddy and let him know I'm earning my salary. As for the rest of you, you should keep in mind that I have excellent hearing." He looked over at Malfoy, his eyes narrowing. "_Really _excellent hearing."

Malfoy had been leaning over to say whisper something into Vincent Crabbe's ear when the Professor looked at him. He straightened up quickly and made a motion as if he were pulling a piece of non-existent lint of Crabbe's shoulder.

Chikara Daikon just smiled and turned his attention back to Hermione. "Are you ready?" He moved back a few more feet. Hermione nodded as she reached into her pocket. "Good. And just so you know, anything goes in this demonstration. Do your worst, I can take it. Begin."

Hermione pulled out her wand, as Professor Daikon started towards her. But just as she raised it, Professor Daikon seemed to disappear, then reappear next to her, holding her wand. Hermione stared at him in open-mouth shock. The rest of the class was astonished. "That's a fast apparation!" Ron whispered to Harry.

"It wasn't that," Goku said, "Professor Daikon moved over there; he just did it really, really, fast."

Professor Daikon looked over at Goku and smiled at him. It was the first smile that held any form of true warmth Harry or anyone in the classroom had ever seen the professor give to anyone. "That's right, Goku. You've got good eyes."

"Big deal, I saw it too." Vegeta snapped. "And if you ask me, you could have been faster."

"Yeah, but I didn't ask you, did I?" The warm smile disappeared almost as fast as it appeared as Daikon turned his attention to Vegeta. Vegeta shrugged and Professor Daikon's eyes narrowed even further. "Uncross your arms in my classroom," he snapped. "You can't learn if you're too busy hugging yourself."

The rest of the class broke into a nervous titter of laughter. Vegeta's eyes narrowed as well, until they were twin slits of anger, but he uncrossed his arms and put his hands on the table instead.

"That's better." Professor Daikon looked back at Hermione and handed her the wand. "As you can see, sometimes in the time it takes you to pull out your wand, you could be in serious trouble. But, very nice try. Ten points to Gryffindor for you being the first volunteer, who's next?"

"Wow!" Goku cried, unable to stop himself. "Twenty of those points I lost are made up already! Woo-hoo!"

Professor Daikon looked at him sharply, but there was a faint trace of warmth in his eyes. "Glad to hear it," he said, nodding. "But let's keep the enthusiasm to ourselves till the class is over."

Justin Finch-Fletchley went next. Again, he tried to pull out his wand to use against him, but Professor Daikon was able to remove it from him just as easily. Justin returned to the table, staring at his wand as if it had betrayed him, even though he had just earned Hufflepuff another five points.

Draco Malfoy went next. He walked towards the front of the class smirking as if this were child's play. He didn't even pretend to go for his wand. When Professor Daikon disappeared, he swung his arm out and around, trying to hit him. The air moved with the motion, but his fist and arm didn't connect with anything. Then Professor Daikon was standing there, holding up Malfoy's wand and smiling triumphantly.

"See? You didn't even have it out and I could get it," he said. "And nice job, enchanting your wand so it would burn any user but yourself. However, these gloves have their own magic as well."

Malfoy scowled. Professor Daikon continued. "However, you are the first person to actually try to use something else besides your wand. Congratulations. Ten points to Slytherin and good job."

Malfoy's scowl vanished and he looked almost happy (or as close to happy as Draco ever got) when he returned to his seat. Crabbe and Goyle almost knocked him over trying to congratulate him.

"Who's next?"

One by one the students came forward and each time, Professor Daikon was able to disarm them. Many still tried using their wands, a few even attempted to cheat by pulling out their wands before the demonstration even began, but it didn't matter. Every time, they were left wandless.

Others tried Draco's trick, a physical attack, but none of them were able to land a punch. Goku's hand began waving furiously, but Professor Daikon ignored it. He also ignored Vegeta's hand, which wasn't waving nearly as furiously, but was in the air.

"You!" He pointed to Ron. "You're next."

Ron came forward. Harry had seen him hide his wand with his books. When Professor Daikon called "Begin" he didn't move. Daikon seemed to disappear for a moment, and then appeared again, holding Ron by the back of his robe. Ron tried to reach around behind him and grab the Professor by the hair. Professor Daikon moved his head easily and put Ron down. "Thought you'd just let me go first then attack, eh, Weasley?"

Ron nodded, looking glum that his plan hadn't worked. Professor Daikon did not look at all unhappy though.

"Sometimes that's how it goes in life," he said, nodding. "Sometimes you don't know till it's upon you and you come up fighting. If I had been a vampire, you'd be dead by now, but at least you fought till the last minute. I like that. Ten points for Gryffindor."

Ron brightened considerably and returned to his seat. Professor Daikon looked at Harry. "Potter, your turn!"

Harry came forward a bit slower than the others. This whole game reminded him a lot of Dursley and his pals. Yes, Professor Daikon was a lot faster than Dudley even dreamed of being, but the concept of being taken advantage of by those stronger than him was nothing new to Harry. He also knew there was no way he was going to get the better of Chikara Daikon.

Professor Daikon moved away from him, across the room. "You ready?" When Harry nodded, he stopped and held up his hand, then dropped it. "Begin!"

The words weren't even finished coming out of the Professor's mouth, when Harry turned away and leaped over the Professor's desk, and tried to hide under it. He had almost succeeded when he felt the air around him moving, and a hand reach out and grab him by the back of his robe. Harry was hauled up, dangling by his feet. He felt his face turning red as he was held up to the class like some type of trophy.

Several of his classmates snickered and Harry felt the embarrassment go right down to his toes. Professor Daikon set him down gently and looked at the class. "Something funny?"

The laughter stopped immediately. Daikon kept a hand on Harry's shoulder, which made Harry feel like he couldn't just walk back to his seat. "Would anyone like to explain to me what was so amusing about this demonstration? I heard some of you laughing."

The ones who had laughed were pretty easy to spot, because they were trying to look in every direction but Professor Daikon's. But no one seemed willing to discuss it with him. Professor Daikon's eyes narrowed further as he looked around the room. "C'mon, you all thought it was great until a second ago, what gives?"

"Nothing _gives_, it's obvious," Vegeta snapped. "He tried to run away rather than face the enemy. Harry Potter is a coward."

Malfoy and his friends began laughing at that remark. "Potter the coward!" Malfoy called out.

"Oh, shut _up_, Draco," Professor Daikon snapped, and then turned his attention back to Vegeta. Harry really wished he'd just let him return to his seat.

"You really think that, Vegeta?" he asked.

Vegeta nodded, staring at the Professor. "A true warrior fights, even when the odds are totally against him. A true warrior does not run away like a scared little child."

"Oh really?" The smile on Professor Daikon's face was thin and cold. "Well, the last time I checked, Harry isn't in training to be a _warrior_, he's in training to be a _wizard_. Little confused on the W words, Vegeta?"

Vegeta scowled. "A battle is a battle, no matter what the means of weapons. If you indeed were a vampire, it would be Mr. Potter's obligation to attempt to defeat you. Not to run and hide like-"

"-a scared little child, yeah, we all heard you the first time," Professor Daikon interrupted. "And I'm going to give you a news flash, Vegeta, so listen closely." He paused and looked around at the rest of the room. "All of you pay attention too. This is something you can actually write down if you want. Sometimes, it's better to run away."

"Right," Vegeta snorted. "If you're a coward, it is."

Professor Daikon looked at him again. "Or, if you know the odds are against you now, but you're sure you can get the better of your enemy someday. Even you understand that, don't you Vegeta? The importance of being able to someday defeat the enemy, that sometimes it's better to get yourself _away from the situation_ and train yourself further? You must understand that, because you're _here,_ aren't you? You aren't _there_, are you?"

Vegeta's eyes widened as his brow furrowed and his lips curled into a scowl. He said nothing though, but crossed his arms over his chest again and looked away from the Professor. Professor Daikon just smiled and looked at the rest of the class.

"Mr. Potter here realizes something that most of you already know, but you don't want to show it. Sometimes it's better to run away, so you can return later, better prepared to face your enemy." He looked down at Harry, still smiling, and tousled his hair. "Good job, Harry. You were thinking. It didn't work very well, but it still shows you were thinking. You knew you couldn't get the better of me, so you did the smart thing and tried to get away. Fifteen points for Gryffindor."

Goku was cheering wildly as Harry returned to his seat. "The points are more than made up!" he shouted. "Yippee! Please, Professor, can I be next? Pretty please?"

Professor Daikon shook his head and finally nodded. "Okay, Goku, you're next."

"Woo-hoo!" Goku shouted and jumped from his seat.

Harry sat down in his seat, very glad his part was over. Ron slapped him on the back and whispered, "Good job!" Harry wasn't too sure if he had done a good job or not, he was just awfully glad the Professor seemed to think his trying to hide was a good idea. He had the feeling Malfoy wouldn't let it go with that though.

Goku was standing in front of the room, bouncing on the soles of his feet, like an over-eager puppy watching his master get ready to throw a ball. "C'mon, let's do it!"

Professor Daikon moved across the room. "Okay, Goku. On my mark." He raised his hand in the air. "Begin!"

Both Professor Daikon and Goku seemed to disappear for a moment, then reappear in the middle. Goku's foot pulled back and shot forward in a streaky blur that was hardly recognizable, until it connected to Professor Daikon.

Right between his legs.

Chikara Daikon's eyes widened into an expression of total shock and he fell to his knees, gasping for air. Everyone in the class looked shocked as well and several of them began clutching themselves, feeling sympathy pain.

Goku stopped short and leaped back. "Ooops!" he cried. "I didn't mean to get you there, I was going for the solar plexus. I guess I aimed wrong. I'm really sorry." His cheeks turned a faint pink and he rubbed his head.

"Tha-tha-tha's o-o-okay," Professor Daikon gasped, still on his knees.

"Well, you did say 'anything goes,'" Goku said, grinning. "And I didn't mean to get you there, but if anything goes, anything goes. Sorry though. I know _that _hurts."

"Yeah," the Professor gasped. "My mistake. Oh…" He struggled to his feet, his face looking green around the edges and white in the center. "Uh, I'm going to, uh," He paused for a moment, shaking his head as if to clear away the pain. "Uh, I'm going to let you all go early today. R-read the f-first three chapters of the book. We-" he paused again, to shake his head and collect his thoughts. "We won't use the, uh, book, much in class, but it's got, uh, stuff in it, uh… class dismissed."

Goku started to return to his seat to grab his things, then stopped. "Hey, Professor Daikon?"

"Y-yes?" Professor Daikon's eyes were watering and he kept wiping them dry.

"Don't I get some points for Gryffindor?" he asked, rubbing his head. "I mean, I know I missed on where I kicked you and it wasn't very nice, but on the other hand, I _did_ bring you down and you _did_ say anything goes."

For a moment, Harry and the rest of the class thought that Professor Daikon was going to overcome his pain, reach out, and grab Goku by the neck. He stared at him, as if that would be about the only thing that would make him happy. Everyone paused and waited to see what would happen, but finally, Professor Daikon managed a watery smile. "Y-you're right," he said. "F-f-f-fifteen points for Gryffindor."

Goku shrugged. "It really should be more, cause I was the only one to figure it out, but since you're not feeling good, I'll settle for fifteen."

The anger flashed across Professor Daikon's face again. "Goku, get the hell out of here!" he gasped.

Goku nodded and turned for a moment, then turned back. "Your class is lots of fun," he said. "The best one I've had so far!"

Professor Daikon groaned. "You d-don't know how h-happy that makes me," he gasped.

_End Chapter Ten._


	13. Interlude II

**Interlude II**

I was right. Professor Chikara Daikon is Saiya-jin and he knows who I am. I still can't remember who he is, and I really should. I'm not happy about this. Not just that I can't remember, but the way he's acting towards me. Not only is he not showing me the respect I deserve, he's going out of his way to humiliate me. Who the hell does he think he is? Our race may be gone for the most part, but he's still a Saiya-jin and I'm still his better.

He's a lot stronger than he should be though; I give him that. Obviously those years I was in cryogenic freeze; he was training. I never really thought running around chasing what this planet terms as "evil beings" would do much for anyone, but it's been of some use to him. Either that or he's spent a lot of his spare time training. All of it, probably.

Malfoy and his brain-dead flunkies are learning to avoid me. This is good. They are useless to me. I can tell they're curious as are the rest of the Slytherin. Even that stupid Potions master, Snape, is curious about me. But they don't ask too many questions. I guess this vague and insipid cover-up as a Crabbe, works. Funny how no one has seemed to notice that I look absolutely nothing like a Crabbe.

Kakarotto… the sooner he's gone the better. He's the most annoying creature I've ever dealt with in my life and I'm ashamed to admit we're both of the same race. He must have been horribly injured to knock out his programming and to be so damned stupid. It's taking everything I have not to eliminate him now and to hell with the consequences. But I have to be careful. I know what happens if I'm not careful.

These people can kill with words. If I didn't know myself better, this would scare me. I am smart enough to be worried by it. Worried and fascinated. What power is it that words can kill? And how did these people tap into it? If "Professor Daikon" is right, the power a Saiya-jin holds is of the same type they have, we just manipulate it differently. If that's correct, then I have the power within me; I just have to learn how to control it in a different way. This won't be easy. But, if I'm lucky, Professor Daikon will show me how it's done. Then, when I've learned, he's gone too. Just for his attempts to humiliate me, while he sucks up to Kakarotto! Why should he care about some low-class Saiya-jin warrior with about as much brains as a stick? Or has he fallen for that "aren't I just a cute little fucker?" attitude the brat seems to wear like a second skin. Doesn't anyone see? He's not cute; he's just an idiot. But everyone around here mollycoddles him like he's some sort of pet.

This school is harder than I thought it would be. I'm still taking those stupid make-up classes and they assured me they had taught me enough that I wouldn't be in them for long. My "father" tells me two weeks to a month is nothing, but I'm still ashamed. Treated like a young child who knows nothing. I haven't been a child for years, despite my appearance. Yet, sadly, there are things I don't know. They should have been teaching me more.

At least I've learned to tune out my roommates and their noise when I'm trying to sleep. That's something right there. It's probably out of simple self-survival. They are a noisy bunch. Malfoy had the nerve to tell me he woke up the other night and heard me snoring. Sure, Malfoy. I ignored him, because I felt my only other option would have been to hurt him.

Crabbe, (and if Goku is an idiot, I have to admit one thing, Vincent Crabbe makes him look positively brilliant) also is a little too curious about my sleeping habits. He said he woke up the other night and I was gone. He wanted to know where I had been. Sure, Crabbe, I just got up in the middle of the night to go for a walk in the woods. I was sleeping; the moron just didn't see me. Not that I care, but he must have pestered me for a good five minutes. "Where were you, Vegeta? What were you doing?" All with this dopey grin on his face like he and I are buddies or something.

I don't get enough time to train in this school. Well, the weekend is coming and

Author's Notes: _Yes, this chapter does end abruptly. It is not a mistake._


	14. Better Brooms and Full Moons

Chapter Eleven

**Better Brooms and Full Moons**

The Understanding the Ways of Muggles classes would not begin until the end of their second week. Even though Goku had lived most of his life with Muggles, he still was in the class. And, much like their Defense Against The Dark Arts class, all fourth year students from all four houses had class together. A lot of students who had grown up in Muggle households were taking it anyway. Some of them figured it would be an easy way to earn points for their houses, but many others were simply curious. Professor Daikon was proving to be an unusual teacher for Defense Against The Dark Arts; many wanted to see how he would teach this.

However, before that class would begin, there were other events that were scheduled to happen before. A week before, Goku had his first flying lesson with a broomstick. Since all the first year Gryffindors and Slytherin's were having their first lesson together, Vegeta would be included as well. Ron and Harry got out of their last class before the lessons ended, so they went to the field to watch.

When they got there, Madam Hooch was still going over the finer points of how to handle a broom. Vegeta was not looking happy at being surrounded by the younger children, and being told how to hold a broom. In fact, Vegeta looked like he would rather not be learning this at all.

"How could anyone not want to learn to fly?" Ron asked, shaking his head. "I couldn't wait to learn."

"I don't get it either," Harry said. He remembered the first time he had ridden a broomstick. He had gone chasing after Draco Malfoy, who had taken Neville's Remembrall. (A small ball that appeared to be made of glass, which turned red if the person holding it had forgotten anything. Neville was notorious for forgetting things, which meant the ball was almost always red when he held it.) It was his first time flying, but it came as natural to him as, well, as breathing. Flying was about the only thing that Harry really felt he excelled at. He didn't know how he would have made it at Hogwarts without Quidditch, since he wasn't exactly an honor student in most of his classes.

In total contrast to Vegeta, Goku was bouncing on the soles of his feet, looking eager and excited. It was obvious that he was so excited that he was forgetting to listen, because Madam Hooch was constantly correcting him.

"Let's try it again," she said to him, the faint traces of irritation showing on her face. "Right hand out like such, and simply say, 'up'."

Goku put out his right hand. Obviously he had been having some trouble with this and figured that maybe shouting would help, because he drew in a deep breath and bellowed at the top of his lungs, "UP!" Several of the other students were so frightened, they dropped their brooms and Madam Hooch flinched. Goku's broom, however, seemed to like being screamed at, because it rose from the ground, into his hand. "Yay!"

"Finally, boy," Madam Hooch said. "But the next time, don't shout. It isn't deaf you know."

"I'm sorry!" Goku's voice was extremely cheerful and his tail wagged furiously behind him, belittling the apology.

Madam Hooch closed her eyes for a brief moment longer than a normal blink, but when she opened them, she looked the same as she always did, as she looked around at the other students.

"I feel sorry for them," Harry commented to Ron as he looked at the brooms. "Those brooms are pitiful."

"Yeah," Ron said, his lips twisting into a bitter grin. "They're _almost_ as bad as mine."

Harry said nothing, because unfortunately, Ron was right. His ancient Shooting Star was impossibly slow. In its day, it had been no more than an average broom. Magic had improved so much; it didn't stand a chance next to brooms like Harry's Firebolt or the new Nimbus 2002. Even a Clean Sweep four would have been an improvement.

"If I don't make it on the Quidditch team, it'll be because my broom is garbage," Ron muttered.

Harry thought desperately. "Look, Ron, maybe you can use my broom for tryouts," he suggested.

Ron brightened for a moment, and then shook his head. "No good. It would work for tryouts, but not if I make the team, cause you'll need your broom."

"Well, you can use one of the school brooms. They aren't great, but they are better than yours."

Ron shrugged. "Yeah. Not much though. He sighed and sat down on the grass, ignoring the class they had come to watch for a moment. Harry sat beside him. "Sometimes…" Ron began, and then stopped.

"Sometimes what?" Harry prompted him.

"Sometimes it sucks being poor," Ron said in one rushing gulp. Ron was fiercely prideful, and Harry knew the admission had to rankle a little.

Harry nodded, feeling a lump in his throat. If Ron would accept it, he'd buy him a broom. What was the point of having all this money in his vault if he couldn't use it to make his friend's lives a little better? But he knew Ron wouldn't take it. It had taken a lot to convince him that he should accept the dress robe from him and Goku, and a broom, even a used one, was quite a bit more money. _There has to be a way_, he thought. Quidditch tryouts were next Wednesday. Maybe, if Ron really showed promise as a Chaser, the school would get a decent broom for him. After all, that's how Harry had gotten his first broom, the Nimbus two thousand.

If that didn't work, Harry thought there had to be another way to get Ron a good broom. His mind was so busy working out ideas, he stopped paying any attention to Goku's flying class until Ron jabbed him in the ribs.

"Trouble!"

Harry looked over. Vegeta was standing on the ground, holding his broom as though it were a piece of nasty trash he had just pulled out of the sewer. "You expect someone to fly with _this_?" he roared. "I have never seen such a piece of crap in my life and I refuse to ride it. I don't need it!" He tossed the broom off to the side and started to storm off.

"Get back here, boy!" Madam Hooch called. "Class isn't over, and all students need to learn to fly."

"Class is over for me," Vegeta snarled, still heading off. "I can fly just fine without a stupid broomstick."

"Twenty points from Slytherin!" Madam Hooch called after him.

"Make it twenty _thousand,_ I don't care!" Vegeta snapped.

Several of the first year Slytherin's groaned at the taking of points, but no one dared to challenge Vegeta.

Madam Hooch watched him for a moment, as if debating if she should go after him and then shrugged and turned back to the class. "Okay, let's try this again… everyone, push off, gently, like this…"

Harry turned to Ron. "What happened? I wasn't paying attention."

Ron grinned. "Vegeta took off and his broom veered sharply to the right. He must have gotten a bad one, cause he seemed to be doing it correctly, the broom just had it's own ideas of how things should be done. He almost hit a tree." From the expression on his face, Harry figured Ron was rather disappointed the broom hadn't succeeded.

"What do you suppose he meant by fly without a broom?" Harry wondered.

Ron shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe his family had a flying carpet or something. Yes, they're illegal, but a lot of families still own them."

"Maybe," Harry agreed. But he had a feeling Vegeta would find a flying carpet about as ridiculous as a broom.

By the end of the lesson, Goku was beginning to get the basic idea, but admitted to both of them that it was a lot harder to fly a broom than it was to operate his "Flying Nimbus."

"You're just used to the cloud," Harry said, trying to make him feel better. "Give it some time, you'll get it."

Goku shrugged. "I suppose I will. Is it dinner time yet?"

Ron grinned. "Almost. Let me guess, you're _starved_!"

Goku nodded. "I sure am. C'mon, let's go! Maybe we'll be first in the line-up!" Before Harry and Ron could say anything else, Goku took off across the yard towards the Great Hall.

After dinner, Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Goku went to the library to work on their homework. But Harry found he really couldn't concentrate. He was thinking about Ron's broom problem, and what he could do to resolve it. Sirius had bought him his Firebolt last year, and sent it to him anonymously. He wondered if he could do the same thing, order Ron a broom and have it sent to him. Would Ron accept it? Ron hadn't had a problem with Harry getting a broom anonymously, would he feel the same about one for him?

_He accepted the owl from Sirius_, Harry thought_. Maybe I could write Sirius and ask him if he could get a broom for me, if I offer to pay- _He shook his head, dismissing the thought quickly. Sirius was on the run and had risked quite a bit to send Harry his Firebolt, Harry wasn't going to have him risk himself any further to get Ron a broom. _Someone else then_, he thought. The problem was that Harry didn't know a lot of folks outside of Hogwarts in the magical community. Unlike Ron, who had his entire family, and their friends who were all wizards.

_He's got two older brothers, you'd think one of them might be able to-_ he thought, and then stopped. He looked over at Ron, who was trying to "predict" what would be happening to him for the next few months, using the star charts from Professor Trelawney's class. "Ron?"

"Yeah?" Ron looked up and sighed. "This is stupid. If I'm reading it right, I'm going to have an easy time of things the next few months. Trelawney will never go for that."

"We'll make something up then," Harry said, grinning.

Hermione looked up from one of the huge volumes she'd borrowed and scowled. She did not approve of Harry and Ron "faking" their homework, but she said nothing. Goku was studying his Beginner Transmogrifications book, and absentmindedly twirling his wand in his fingers.

"What did you want?" Ron asked, remembering Harry had called to him.

"Nothing," Harry shrugged, trying to sound casual. "I was just wondering, did you tell your brothers you were trying out for the Quidditch team this year?"

Ron looked at him, his brows raised. "Well, seeing that Fred and George are on the team and trained me, I kind of gathered they figured it out."

"Not those brothers," Harry said. "Your older brothers, Charlie and Bill."

Ron snorted. "Until you came along, Charlie was the best Seeker Gryffindor had seen in a long time. Probably since your father. Bill was a Keeper and captain of the Quidditch team. I don't even know if I have a chance at making it, and I'm gonna write them and tell them I'm trying out? Why, so if I fail, they can all have a good laugh? I had to bribe Fred and George to keep their mouths shut until after tryouts and to _keep_ them shut if I don't get on the team."

"Your folks know you're trying out, don't they?" Hermione asked.

"No, I didn't mention it to them either," Ron stated flatly.

Harry thought for a moment, and then realized Ron was right. All the time he'd spent with the Weasleys this summer, and they had never mentioned it to Ron's parents. Every time the subject has been brought up, Ron had found a way to quickly change it to something else. That was when Harry fully realized what this meant to Ron, and how terrible he would feel if he didn't make it. It made trying to get him a decent broom more difficult, but it also made him more determined than ever to do so. In the meantime though, he had to get Ron a decent broom to try out with. If he could get him through tryouts, Harry thought he might have a good chance of getting him a broom he would accept.

Each house was to have tryouts on a different day. Ravenclaw on Wednesday, Slytherin on Thursday, Gryffindor on Friday, and Hufflepuff on Saturday. Harry thought his best bet would be to see if he could borrow a broom from a player from another house for Ron. That way, no one from Gryffindor would have to give up his or her own broom. The problem was, deciding who he should ask. Some players were very protective of their brooms, and would not be too happy about lending them to someone else, someone they could very well end up playing against. Many others had various superstitions attached to their brooms, much like other sports players, even those in the Muggle world did.

He dismissed everyone in Slytherin without a second thought. Any member of Slytherin seeking a place on their house Quidditch team would be about as happy to lend Harry their broom as -- well, as happy as Harry would be to lend them his. That left Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw, and he didn't really feel he had close enough friends in either of them to consider—

"Hi, Harry!"

He looked up towards the sound of the voice. He, Ron, Hermione, and Goku were headed to their next class. Harry had been so lost in his own thoughts, he had barely notice what he was doing until the voice interrupted him. When he saw who it was, he found his face turning red in spite of himself.

"Hi, Cho," he called out; praying silently that his voice didn't suddenly change and sound stupid. It seemed fairly normal to his ears, maybe a bit higher than normal. Cho Chang was the Seeker for Ravenclaw, and in Harry's opinion, the prettiest girl in the school.

She walked past him with her group of friends, obviously heading to another class. Cho seemed to always be surrounded by people, if Harry remembered correctly. He had a sudden urge to turn around and join her, but knew that being late for his next class would not be very smart.

"She's pretty," Goku commented, shortly after they passed. "And she knows your name. Is she your girlfriend?"

"No!" Harry said, a bit too quickly. Hermione looked at him with a quizzical expression, but said nothing. Ron snorted. "She's the Seeker for the Hufflepuff team," he added, hoping this would satisfy Goku.

Right after the words were out of his mouth, they repeated themselves in his head. Cho was a Quidditch player for another house. Therefore, Cho had a broom. Maybe he could ask her if Ron could borrow it? It would be a good solution, except Harry would have to come up with the nerve to talk to her about it.

"Does that mean she can't be your girlfriend?" Goku asked.

"No, it doesn't mean that at all," Ron said, his voice a little too pleasant. "It means that she isn't Harry's girlfriend, but he kind of wishes she were."

"Shut up," Harry suggested, feeling his face turn red. "We'd better hurry, don't want to be late for Daikon's class."

While Professor Daikon had totally recovered from Goku's attack, for his second lesson, he didn't seem too eager to see if any of the students could get the best of him. Instead, he started having them focus on finding their "inner energy" or what he called, their Ki. Apparently, your Ki was what made you able to manipulate magic. And even Muggles had Ki, everyone did, but what separated those who could do magic and those who couldn't was the power of their Ki.

"All of you have a Ki that's much more powerful than the average human walking around this mud ball," Professor Daikon explained.

Hermione's hand shot up in the air. Professor Daikon nodded towards her, which the class learned was his way of saying, "Go ahead and ask."

"So folks with a high Ki are magic users?" She asked, "I'm sorry, but I'm a bit confused. No books I've ever read on magic ever talk about this."

Professor Daikon gave her one of his totally sincere, but rare smiles. "I'm not surprised. A lot of what I'm teaching you are theories I've come up with myself, or with the help of my father and some others I've studied with. But to answer your questions, no. Some folks with a high Ki do other things. Some are expert fighters." He shot a look over to Goku who was bouncing in his seat happily, when the word "fighter" was said. "Yes, Goku, I know, you're an excellent fighter."

"Fighting is fun!" Goku blurted out. "My grandfather was a legendary martial arts expert and so is Master Roshi and both of them said I'd surpass them someday!"

"I'm sure you will," Daikon said. "But this isn't the time to discuss this. Stop bouncing." Goku frowned for a brief second and slumped in his seat. His tail however, kept wagging happily. "There are other things folks with a higher Ki do as well," Daikon continued, "but since this is a school for magic, and since all of you are being trained to use your Ki to manipulate the forces of magic, that's what this class will concentrate on."

He then started teaching the class how to relax, something that rather surprised many of them, because most of them felt they were experts at knowing how to relax. But not the way Professor Daikon wanted them to. He took them all to the room across the hall, which was as big as his classroom was, but instead of having tiers of tables, it was empty. The walls seemed to be made of brick, but painted a soft, off-white color. On the floor were what looked to Harry to be gymnasium mats, but a bright purple in color. The ceiling of the room had been enchanted just as the Great Hall was, and on this day, the room was filled with pale yellow sunshine.

Professor Daikon had them sit on the floor with their legs crossed and then had them close their eyes and try to think about nothing at all. Harry found this a lot harder than he thought he would. It seemed that if you tried to think of nothing, you started thinking of everything. It seemed that there were a lot of others in the class who were having the same trouble, because there was a lot of fidgeting being done. The only people who seemed to grasp the concept were Goku and Vegeta. Vegeta sat apart from everyone, legs crossed, eyes closed. While he looked relaxed, Harry still had the impression of a snake, just waiting to strike if anyone went to near him.

Goku was sitting remarkably still for Goku; even his tail was wrapped around his waist, not even flickering. He sat up straight, his palms pressed together in front of him, his eyes closed, his breathing gentle and even.

Harry and everyone else tried to keep their eyes closed, but failed. However, when class ended, Professor Daikon told them he was pleased with what they had done. He then gave five points to Slytherin and Gryffindor for how well Vegeta and Goku had done and dismissed the class, telling them they should practice relaxing whenever they got the chance.

"I believe he's trying to teach us how to meditate," Hermione remarked as they headed down the hall.

Goku looked at her with an expression of disbelief, as if she had suddenly transformed herself into a very young and not-so-bright child. "Well, yeah," he said, shaking his head. "Of course he is."

Harry and Ron looked at each other and tried not to laugh. Goku knowing more than Hermione did about something? "Have you done this before?" Harry asked, when he could keep a straight face.

Goku nodded. "Sure. You have to meditate and be able to center yourself if you want to be a good fighter. _Everyone_ knows this. And I guess you should be able to do it if you want to be a good magic user too. I'm starved, I'm gonna get something to eat before my next class."

"Goku, dinner isn't for awhile," Hermione reminded him.

"So?" Goku shrugged. "I'll just go to the kitchen and get something. The house elves are always willing to give me something to eat. They like me."

Harry, Ron, and Hermione stared at each other. "You've been in the kitchens?"

Goku nodded. "A few times. I was real hungry one night and I woke up and started wandering around, looking for food. And I found the kitchen!"

"How?" Ron asked. "I mean, I know Fred and George know how to get there, but I thought the ways to the kitchen were almost impossible to find."

Harry thought about the marauder's map and remembered that the kitchens were well hidden. He knew he would only be able to find them with the help of the map and quite a bit of luck.

Goku shrugged. "When it comes to food, trust me, I can find it. Does anyone want to come with me?"

"No!" Hermione said, quickly. "Students aren't supposed to be in the kitchen, it's against the rules. "

"Tell the house elves that," Goku suggested. "They love it when I visit, and they always give me such great things to eat." He looked at Ron and Harry. "You guys wanna come?"

Harry and Ron both would have loved to come, but they had a class. "Aren't you supposed to have your make up classes?" Ron asked.

"Make up?" Goku scoffed. "Girls wear make up, not boys. Didn't you know that?"

"He means your catching up classes," Harry said.

"Oh!" Goku nodded. "Yeah, but I've got half an hour and this won't take long. And if I'm just a little late, it's okay. Professor Sprout won't mind. I've got herbology catch up today."

Harry was pretty sure Professor Sprout wouldmind, but he knew better than to argue with Goku. Hopefully, he wouldn't cost them too many points. "Well, Ron and I have to be in our next class now, so we'd better pass. Maybe another time?"

Goku nodded. "Sure, any time you want to go, just ask me. Those house elves like to feed people. They think I'm wonderful cause I eat so much. See you guys later!" He turned and ran off, like a blur, through the halls.

When dinner was finished, Harry went down to the Quidditch field alone to watch the Ravenclaw tryouts. Goku had detention with Professor Snapes for his disaster in his first potions class. Ron and Hermione were headed to the library. Harry was glad neither Ron nor Hermione had asked what he was doing, because he really didn't want Ron to go along with him.

When he got to the field, he saw only one other person from Gryffindor, Katie Bell, who was also one of the Chasers. She saw him and waved him over. "Come down to see the competition?" she teased.

Harry shrugged. "I was bored, so I figured I might as well," he lied. He was not going to tell her that he was hoping to talk to Cho afterwards and see if she would lend her broom to Ron. "Is that why you're here?"

Katie nodded, not even taking her eyes off the field, where the Ravenclaws were playing a mock game of Quidditch to test potential players. "I want to be team captain," she said.

"Really?" Harry asked. He supposed since Oliver had graduated, someone would have to want to be team captain.

Katie nodded again. "Professor McGonagall and Madam Hooch say that as long as everyone on the team votes me in, I'll get it too. Can I count on your support?" She still refused to take her eyes off the field.

Harry's eyes were not exactly on the field; they were more focused on Cho. She really knew how to handle a broom. "I-I can't see why not," he said. "Does anyone else want to be captain?"

"No," Katie said quietly. "Unless you do."

"No," Harry said. He loved being Seeker, he loved playing Quidditch, but he didn't really feel he had the drive necessary to be the team captain. Oliver Wood seemed to have focused his entire self on being team captain. He lived, slept, ate, and breathed Quidditch. There was a rumor going around that he was on his way to becoming a professional player.

Katie breathed a sigh of relief, but continued watching. "Alicia is going to try to become Keeper," she continued. "That leaves one spot open for another Chaser and Fred and George are saying Ron is going to try for it."

Harry nodded. "We've been practicing with him all summer. He's gotten really good, we think he has a really good chance."

"I hope so. With Alicia going to Keeper, we'll need another strong Chaser for the team." Her eyes narrowed as she watched a second year Ravenclaw student who was trying out for Chaser take a shot at the goal. The Keeper stopped the Quaffle easily and slammed it back. "A lot stronger that she is," Katie said, pointing to the student.

Harry looked over briefly and nodded, then went back to looking at Cho. They weren't using a real snitch for the mock game, but every once in awhile, Madam Hooch would toss out an ordinary golf ball. If Cho could catch the ball before it hit the ground that meant she caught the snitch. If the ball made it to the ground, it meant the snitch had escaped. Madam Hooch was timing when she threw the ball very carefully, to make sure the try-out players had a chance to see how distracting it could be to suddenly have a Seeker go zooming right by you.

It took less than an hour for Cho to swoop down and catch the golf ball in her hands. Harry wasn't sure if he could have done much better. As Madam Hooch gathered all the players around her to make announcements, Katie stood up. "I'm going to head back. You coming with me?"

"No," Harry shook his head, hoping his voice sounded casual. "I think I'll stay a moment. I wanted to ask Cho something."

"Suit yourself," Katie shrugged and left the field.

Harry waited until Madam Hooch announced that the team roster would be posted outside her office door in a week and dismissed the team. As the players started heading away, Harry knew this was his chance. Drawing in a deep breath he called out to her. "Cho!"

She stopped and turned around. When she saw it was he, she smiled and waited for him to catch up to her. "Hi, Harry."

"Uh, hi," Harry said_. I will not turn red, I will not get tongue-tied,_ he ordered himself. "Can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Sure." She turned to the rest of the members of her team and the ones trying out, who were waiting for her to join them. "I'll catch up with you in a minute." When they started walking away again, she turned back to Harry. "What do you want to talk about?"

Keep focused. "Uhm, you did a good job tonight. I'm impressed." _Well_, he thought_. A little small talk wouldn't hurt_.

"Thanks." Her smile deepened. "Coming from someone as good as you, I consider that a compliment."

Harry was suddenly glad it had gotten dark, cause he could feel the blush starting on his cheeks. _Steady, she's just a girl. Sure, the prettiest girl in Hogwarts, but just a girl!_

An awkward silence had fallen over them. They stood there for a moment, and then Cho finally cleared her throat. "So, uhm, is that all you wanted to say?"

"Uh, no," Harry said. "Uh, I wanted to ask you a favor."

"What?" She tipped her head to one side, looking at him, still smiling.

Harry took a deep breath. This was it. "Cho… I know it's a lot to ask, and you can say no, but is there any chance you'd lend Ron your broom for tryouts?" He gulped and added quickly, so there would be no mistake, "It would be _just_ for tryouts and he'd give it right back when he was done."

"My broom?" Cho looked over at her broom, which she had been holding, then back to Harry. "Why would Ron want to borrow my broom? He should have his own, right?"

"Yeah," Harry said, trying to think as quickly as possible. He didn't think Ron would appreciate Harry telling Cho about his family's financial problems. "Uh, he's getting a real good one, but it's still on order." He crossed his fingers without even realizing he was doing it_. It's not really a complete lie. He **will **be getting a good broom, if I have to buy it myself and charm him into accepting it._ "And tryouts are this Friday, so he's sort of in a bind. He can't borrow his brothers' or mine, cause we'll need ours."

Cho nodded. "This is just for try-out's right?" she asked.

Harry nodded. "I promise. If his broom isn't in by the time Gryffindor has their first game, we'll think of something else, but we won't borrow yours."

She hesitated for a few seconds, which for some reason seemed like a few days to Harry. Then she finally nodded. "All right. Since it's just for tryouts. But he'll treat it carefully, won't he? I mean, I know it's just a Nimbus 2001, and not nearly as nice as your Firebolt, but I'm still very fond of it."

Harry nodded, feeling a sense of relief rushing through him. "He'll treat very carefully, Cho, I promise. In fact, if you'd feel better, I'll borrow your broom and lend him my Firebolt. My first broom was a Nimbus 2000."

Cho smiled deeply, and shook her head. "No, that's okay. If you say Ron can be trusted with my broom, I don't have a problem with that. Shall I give it to him Friday morning?"

Harry thought for a moment, and shook his head. "No, why don't you give it to me, Friday morning and I'll give it to him before Try outs." _That'll give me time to get Ron used to the idea_, he thought.

"Okay." They both nodded, which seemed to confirm the agreement. "I'll give it to you before Breakfast, meet me outside of the Great Hall early."

"Thanks," Harry said, that feeling of relief still rushing through him. "I really appreciate that. And if there is anything I can ever do for you, just ask."

It was Cho's turn to hesitate, and even though he could barely see it was so dark, Harry would have sworn her cheeks turned faintly pink. "Well, there is one thing…"

"Name it," Harry said. At that point, he probably would have agreed to kiss Snape; he was so happy and relieved.

"Uhm, I've never ridden a real, professional Quidditch broom before," Cho said. "Do-do you think I could try riding your Firebolt someday?"

"Sure!" Harry had let Fred, George, and Ron ride his broom countless times, he wouldn't mind letting Cho have a turn. "Some afternoon, when they're not using the field we can come down and I'll let you ride it."

"Thanks!" Cho looked positively delighted at the idea.

"Oh, no problem at all."

They stood there for a moment, neither of them knowing what to say. Finally, Harry realized someone had to end this, or they might get in trouble for being out so late. "Uhm, we should get back to the castle. It's almost time for bed."

"Of course!" Cho quickly agreed. "We don't want to get in trouble."

Harry woke up the Friday morning of the Gryffindor tryouts feeling vaguely guilty. He had yet to mention to Ron that he was borrowing Cho's broom for him to use. He sat up in bed, looking around. No one else was up yet. Ron was curled up, mumbling something. From the way his bedclothes were tousled, Harry had the feeling he hadn't slept very well. He was nervous about tryouts and as the day had drawn closer, had gone from being overly enthusiastic, to moody. He was sure that his old broom would cost him a chance on the team. Fred and George had gone through the school brooms and found the best one of the lot, but the best of that lot, everyone knew, was still a poor broom.

Harry rose from his bed and got dressed quickly. He wanted to get down and intercept Cho before Ron joined him. He was just leaving the room, when Goku sat up, rubbing his eyes. "Hi, Harry!" he called out. "You're up early!"

Harry turned around and put his finger to his lips. "Shh!" he whispered. "Ron was up late, I don't want to wake him!"

"Oh, I understand," Goku said, lowering his voice maybe a fraction of its normal tone, as he leaped out of bed. "You heading to breakfast? Wait up, I wanna go too!"

"Uhm, that's not a good idea," Harry said, looking over at Ron, hoping he didn't awaken. "I-I've got someone I have to meet with before breakfast."

"Who?" Ron said, sitting up and rubbing his eyes.

_Oh, isn't this just great_, Harry thought. "Just-Just someone," He said. "Look Goku, Ron's waking up, why don't you and him get ready? I'll meet you both in the Great Hall."

"Okay," Goku said, shrugging. "But who are you going to meet?"

"Just… someone," Harry said. Why couldn't he just get out of this mess? Just walk away.

Ron yawned lazily. "Probably wants to meet with Hermione to go over his homework," he said.

Harry seized the opportunity. "Ron's right, and I'd better hurry. I'll see you guys later!" He turned and hurried from the room and down the stairs.

As he was heading towards the Great Hall, Harry saw Filch coming from the Slytherin dorms, holding a bucket and looking upset. Mrs. Norris was walking alongside him. "These little brats can't learn for nothing. Getting sick in the common room, can't they find a bathroom for these problems?" he was muttering to the cat. "In all my years, I've never seen this happen. Almost every morning, I'm sent up to clean up vomit. Back in the old days that never would have happened-" His eyes narrowed as Harry tried to walk past him, casually. "Where you going?"

"To breakfast," Harry said. Without waiting for a response, he hurried along.

"Stay out of trouble!" Filch snapped.

Cho was waiting for him, outside the Great Hall, holding her broom. "Thanks," Harry said gratefully, as he took it. Now he just needed to sneak it back into his room without running into Ron or Goku and he'd be fine.

"I polished it last night and went over it carefully," Cho said. "It's in perfect working order."

"And it will be in the same condition when you get it back tonight, Cho, I promise."

Harry didn't stay to talk to her as long as he would have liked to. Instead, he hurried back to the Gryffindor dorm, to hide the broom in his room. When he saw Ron and Goku heading to the Great Hall, he ducked behind a suit of armor until they passed him. _Let's just hope they haven't run into Hermione_, he thought.

His luck was holding steady, because when he entered the common room, Hermione was just coming down from the girl's dorm. "Hi, Harry," she said, and then looked at what he was holding. "Nice broom."

"Thanks," Harry said. "It's Cho's. She's letting Ron borrow it for Tryouts tonight."

Hermione frowned. "Is that right?" she asked. "I mean, if he makes the team, he'll still need a decent broom and he can't go using Cho's all the time."

"It's okay," Harry said. "Somehow, we're going to get him a better broom. I just want to get him through the tryouts first. I'll worry about that later."

Hermione sighed. "Well, I suppose. Does Ron know?"

"No," Harry shook his head. "I'll tell him just before tryouts. He won't say no. This is a Nimbus 2001."

Hermione nodded, although Harry suspected she really didn't know much of a difference between brooms. "It looks like a good one."

"It's about the best you can get before the Firebolt," Harry said, then changed the subject. "Are you heading for breakfast?"

Hermione nodded.

"Can you let me put this in my room?" Harry asked. "I'll be right down and we can go together." Without waiting for a reply, he turned and ran up the stairs to his room and put Cho's broom in his trunk, with his Firebolt. When he came back down, Hermione was waiting for him. They went to breakfast together.

The day seemed to drag out, waiting for Quidditch try outs. The last class of the day was the Understanding The Ways of Muggles. This class was to take place in another classroom, not the same one where Defense Against The Dark Arts was taught, but off the same hallway.

"It must be the room across the hall, the one he took us to start teaching us to relax," Hermione commented as they headed to the class. "It's the only other room in the hallway."

"Unusual room to hold a class in," Ron commented. "No desks, I guess we'll all sit on the floors. Are Muggle schools like that?"

Harry and Hermione both shook their heads. "Muggle classrooms have desks," Hermione said.

"That's okay," Goku said, cheerfully. "I like sitting on the floor!"

As it turned out though, the classes were to be held in a completely different room, further down the hall, that none of them had noticed both times they had come for the Defense Against The Dark Arts class.

As they walked inside, Harry looked around and grinned. The room looked very much like a Muggle classroom, with what appeared to be cinderblock walls and very ordinary student desks. The ceiling even seemed to be an ordinary "drop ceiling" with long, fluorescent lights hanging from them. The lights were not on and the room was rather dark and cold appearing as they filed in.

Professor Daikon was sitting on the top of the teacher's desk, facing the classroom. "Take a seat," he said, as the students were filing in. "Class will begin when you're all sitting."

Everyone scrambled for seats. Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Goku found a group of seats together and sat down. Harry looked around the room a bit more, as he settled in his seat. One wall of the classroom had shelf upon shelf of what were probably ordinary Muggle books. On the walls were posters from movies, music concerts, and plays. There was one bulletin board with advertisements for all sorts of products and services. They looked as if they had been cut out of magazines and tacked up on the wall. Several of the students were looking at the ads with puzzled expressions on their face. Goku was staring at an ad for a restaurant, which showed beautiful colored pictures of the many choices. His tail wagged furiously. Harry figured if he wasn't distracted soon, Goku was going to start drooling and complaining he was hungry.

When the last student had filed in and found a seat, Professor Daikon stood up and walked over to the wall. Everyone watched as he flicked an ordinary light switch. Instantly, the lights above them came flickering to life. Students like Harry barely registered this, but many were looking puzzled.

"Lesson one," Professor Daikon said. "That's how Muggles light up a room. No spells, no candles, although they do use candles, but that's more for mood or if the electricity goes out."

"Electricity?" someone asked.

Professor Daikon nodded. "There's no magic involved at all. And at some point, I'll be giving you all a brief explanation of how it all works, but many Muggles themselves don't even know how it works. They just know it _does_ work, as long as you pay the electric bill or a storm doesn't come along and knock out the power."

He walked to the chalkboard, and wrote on the chalkboard, "Understanding the Ways of Muggles" Unlike in his Defense Against The Dark Arts class, the chalk worked like ordinary chalk did, scratching and squeaking on the board. A few of the students, including Vegeta and Goku flinched at the sound. When he was done, he shrugged and turned back to the class. "That's the name of the class, and that's basically what it's about."

He walked back to the desk and sat down on the top of it again. "Okay, a lot of you may be wondering why bother with this class, right?" He paused, looking around as several of the students nodded. "Well, there's something you have to understand, the Muggles outnumber wizarding folk by a significant margin. So, the chances are pretty good that most of you will have to interact with Muggles, in their world, and it's for the best that you're prepared for this. By the end of this class, all of you should be able to interact in the Muggle world, with enough ease and confidence that most folks will never suspect. That's a good thing, because the Ministry of Magic gets a little tired of having to spend their time getting perfectly innocent magic users out of the hands of Muggle hospitals for the mentally ill. Not to mention, having to perform countless memory charms on the psychiatrists who've examined these unfortunate wizards."

He went on to explain what he hoped to accomplish with these classes. Unlike his first Defense Against The Dark Arts classes, Harry found this one rather dull. He hoped it would get more interesting as it went along, or he might end up dropping it. He wasn't really obligated to take it. Some of the other students, the ones who had grown up in entirely magical households, like Ron, seemed a little more interested. Especially when Professor Daikon passed around several Game boys and let them all play Tetris for a bit.

Harry found his own thoughts wandering to the Quidditch field, where try outs would be taking place that night for Gryffindor. He was really hoping that Ron would get on the team. Not only for Ron, but for himself too. It would be nice to have that to share with Ron too, not to mention it might make Ron feel less overshadowed by Harry if he were on the team as well.

When class ended, it was time for dinner. Ron was almost beside himself with worry and excitement, despite assurances from Fred, George, and Harry himself that he would do just fine. He was so sure that the school broom would cost him his place on the team, that during breakfast, Harry finally gave up and confessed. "Ron, you aren't going to try out on the school broom," he blurted out.

Ron looked up from picking at his treacle pudding and shook his head. "Sure, Harry. We went over this before; I'm not going to let you lend me your broom. You need it."

"No, you're not going to use my broom either," Harry explained. "I-I borrowed someone else's broom. It's not a Firebolt, but it's a Nimbus 2001. A lot better than a school broom."

"Who did you borrow it from?" Ron asked, suspiciously.

"No one from Gryffindor, so they don't need it for tonight," Harry assured him.

Harry's assurance wasn't enough. "Whose broom is it? I know Malfoy didn't lend you his," Ron probed.

Harry tried not to get annoyed. What did it matter, as long as Ron had a broom for try outs? "If you must know, I'm borrowing it from Cho," he finally said, trying not to sound exasperated.

Ron grinned for a quick moment, then his expression changed to worried again. "No, that won't work. What about after tryouts? Cho can't lend me her broom all the time."

"Oh who cares?" Harry said, fighting the urge to yell. "The important thing is that you get on the team. We'll worry about the boom later. Even if you get stuck using the school broom, you'll still be on the team. We'll have lots of practice time after that to get you really used to the school broom. This is just for tryouts, Ron."

"That's not a bad idea at all," Fred said.

"Right," George nodded. "It's just to get you through tryouts. After that we'll work something out."

"Why does it always seem that I'm trouble?" Ron muttered.

"You aren't trouble except when you're being stubborn!" Harry said, knowing his voice was rising higher than it should. "Look, I got you a better broom for tryouts, just accept it and try out and get on the team. We need you. With Oliver gone, and Alicia taking his position, we need a good chaser. We need _you._ And I don't want to see something as stupid as a broom keep you from getting on the team!"

"Yeah, but this is different," Ron protested. "You never had to borrow-"

Before he could continue, Hermione spoke up, loudly. "Ron, Harry went to a lot of trouble to make this arrangement, and he did it because he's your friend. Can't you just accept that and be glad he did it?"

Ron quieted down and stared at her. She looked back at him steadily, and continued. "It's just a tool, Ron, nothing more. It would be the same if he found someone to lend you a better quill or parchment before a class test. It's still your skill that's going to win you the place on the team. Not the broom."

Ron started to open his mouth again, then looked around the table. Everyone but Goku (who was still eating, rather oblivious to what was going on) was looking at him expectantly. He bit his lower lip, his face flushing almost as red as his hair, then he sighed. "All right." He looked at Harry. "Thanks. I-I'll thank Cho later."

Harry breathed a sigh of relief and made a mental note to thank Hermione later, in private.

After dinner Harry joined his teammates and the other students from Gryffindor who wanted to try out for the one position open. There were about seven other students along with Ron, trying out.

Many fellow Gryffindor students who weren't trying out were there as well, to watch. Harry looked around and saw a few other students, mostly members of the other house Quidditch teams as well. Harry grinned, knowing they were here to check out the competition, much as Katie had done with the Ravenclaw team.

"Gather 'round!" Madam Hooch called. Professor McGonagall was there as well. "All present team members, gather 'round. Those trying out can stay over there for now."

The team members gathered around Madam Hooch and Professor McGonagall. "Katie Bell has expressed an interest in becoming team captain," Professor McGonagall explained. "Since Katie has shown herself to be an enthusiastic player and also shown me qualities of leadership before, I think she would make an excellent captain. So, I will ask you now if anyone has any objections, or is anyone hoping for the position themselves?"

Everyone shook their heads on both accounts. Harry had a feeling even if one of them might have been harboring a secret desire to be team captain; they decided it would be best to keep it a secret. It was quite clear that Professor McGonagall thought Katie was best for the job.

"Well, if there are no objections, let's bring it to a vote. All in favor of Katie Bell becoming the captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team say aye."

Katie was not allowed a vote, but it didn't matter. Everyone said "Aye" rather quickly. Professor McGonagall beamed at them. "Very good. I think you made the best choice."

Madam Hooch looked pleased as well. She blew her whistle. "All students trying out please gather 'round!"

The other students came over. Madam Hooch explained that they were going to have a mock Quidditch game to test them. She organized them into two very strange teams. There was only to be one Seeker (Harry) in this mock game and only two beaters. She explained that they would not be using a real Snitch, but golf balls instead. Then she ordered everyone on his or her brooms to play.

For Harry, this mock game was almost boring. He didn't have to constantly look around to see where the Snitch might be; he only had to keep his eyes on Madam Hooch and wait for her to toss it in the air. She deliberately tossed it quite low at the beginning, so Harry wouldn't have the time to get it before it fell to the ground. Harry still tried though; knowing the point of it was to see how the students trying out would react to suddenly having the Seeker zooming by them at top speed.

Although he knew he should keep his eyes on Madam Hooch, Harry couldn't help but look around a bit. Ron was assigned to the team that had to get the Quaffle past Alicia. Since Alicia was trying out to be Keeper, she was giving it everything she had. Katie and Colm (also trying out) were the other two Chasers for this "Team." Madam Hooch thought it was only fair that they should have the other "real" Chaser, since the Keeper they had to get past was also an experienced player.

Sitting astride the Nimbus 2001, Ron looked a lot more confident than Harry had thought he'd look. Harry had half expected him to look nervous, but sitting aside a very good broom was doing wonders for him. He seemed totally focused on the game, intent on getting the Quaffle past Alicia and through the hoops.

If this had been a real Quidditch game, Ron's team would have been getting slaughtered. The "Keeper" for Ron's team was Lavender Brown. Harry knew there was no way she was going to make it. Fred and George might be tempted to vote her in, simply because she was beautiful, but in all honesty, the girl just could not play Quidditch. The "other" team was getting past her too easily. The only thing that kept them from scoring was that most of them didn't seem to quite have the knack of getting the Quaffle through the hoops.

Harry grinned as he watched Katie gain control of the Quaffle and beat it over to Ron, who was in danger of being hit by a Bludger. Ron acted as if he didn't even notice it coming towards him; he was confident of his brother's ability to take care of it. Besides, he'd dealt with a human Bludger named Goku all summer, what was an ordinary Bludger compared to that? He whacked the Quaffle over to Colm, who was near the scoring area easily.

Suddenly out of the corner of his eye, Harry saw Madam Hooch toss a ball. He kicked his broom into action and went racing past Colm, not too close, but not too far either, diving to get it. Colm nearly fell off his broom, but fortunately, Katie had been racing over and was able to grab him and steady him. Harry reached for the ball, but it was too close to the ground and he missed. He had to pull up sharply on his broom to keep from hitting the ground himself.

Madam Hooch blew her whistle and motioned for Colm to come down. Colm was quickly replaced with another student trying out.

The game seemed to go on forever. Harry knew that Madam Hooch was deliberately tossing the balls too low and from too far a distance to catch them, but he still felt a little bad. He was awful glad this wasn't _his_ try-out, cause he'd probably fail.

Some of the other tryouts were called out and replaced. Ron never was though, which made Harry glad.

The "other" team (Even though, Harry wasn't officially on either of the teams, he couldn't help but feel that he was a member of Ron's team) took the Quaffle to their hoops and aimed, missing terribly. When the Quaffle went back into play, Ron went flying towards their goal. Katie gave the Quaffle a terrific hit, which sent it to Ron. Ron was close enough to shoot for the goal, but only barely, and he'd have to hit it just right to compensate for the angle he was at. This was not going to be easy at all. Harry had a bad feeling this was going to be it. His eyes quickly darted over to Madam Hooch, who had moved across the field a bit closer to Ron. She threw the "Snitch Substitute" in the air, right in Ron's direction.

Harry could have waited, pretended he hadn't seen it and let it fall to the ground, but he knew that wouldn't be fair. He shot off after the ball, whizzing so close to Ron as he passed that he could almost feel his breath on him. The ball was beginning to fall to the ground, quite rapidly. Harry dived for it as fast as he could, and reached forward, catching it in the tips of his fingers. Drawing it into the palm of his hand, he looked quickly over his shoulder, just in time to see the Quaffle go safely through the middle hoop.

Madam Hooch blew her whistle sharply and yelled, "Game over!" Harry was awfully glad; it was getting quite dark out. He dismounted from his broom and walked over with the rest of his team and the ones trying out to where Professor McGonagall and Madam Hooch were.

"Congratulations," Professor McGonagall said. "You all did very well. It's going to be quite hard to decide who will be on the team. However, there is only one opening, so only one person will be able to join the team. But I want you to know that make it or not, you all did your best and it shows. You should all be _very_ proud."

When she finished talking Madam Hooch announced that the team roster would be posted outside the door to her office by next Friday. Then, tryouts were over.

"You're in," Fred said to Ron, when the other students trying out had walked away. "You are _so_ in it isn't funny."

"You might as well tell Mum and Dad," George agreed. "That last goal you scored was brilliant."

"Nothing is decided until next Friday," Ron said, trying to sound casual. Harry could still hear the excitement in his friend's voice.

"Just a formality, brother," George said. "We know a Chaser when we see one and none of the other kids trying out even began to compare with you."

Ron shrugged, trying to look as if he didn't care, but failing miserably. He looked at Harry. "You got bloody close to me that last time. I almost lost it for a moment."

"Yes, but you didn't," Harry reminded him.

Hermione and Goku came down from the stands and went over to join them. Goku cheerfully admitted that while he didn't fully understand the game, he thought Ron did great. Hermione agreed that Ron did wonderful.

Cho had been watching with the Captain of her team. Ron spotted her walking off and ran over to give her back her broom. Harry debated if he should go with him, but decided Ron would rather thank her in private. Harry, Hermione, and Goku decided to wait for him.

Although Ron didn't spend too much time thanking Cho, by the time he returned, they were the only ones left. They started heading back to the castle.

"It's a really beautiful night," Hermione said, looking up at the sky. "The moon is perfectly full and bright."

Harry and Ron looked up and shrugged. The moon was quite full and bright, but they didn't see what the big deal was.

"We should hurry then!" Goku said, suddenly. His tail began waving furiously and he seemed to be trying to look everywhere but up in the sky.

"It's okay, Goku," Hermione said. "The castle isn't far and everyone knows tonight was Quidditch tryouts for Gryffindor. We're not going to be in trouble for getting in so late."

"That's not it," Goku said, shaking his head. "It's the full moon. We all need to get safely inside before the monster comes out."

"The monster?" Ron asked.

Goku nodded, walking a bit faster. "If you look at the moon when it's full, you can summon this terrible monster. The biggest monster anyone ever saw."

Hermione tried not to smile. "Goku, full moons are bad if you're a werewolf, but I don't think looking at a full moon summons a huge monster," she explained gently.

"Yes it does!" Goku said. "I know because my grandfather was trampled to death by that monster. And my friends have seen him too. He destroyed Emperor Pilaf's castle like it was just a child's toy, that's what they told me. And he almost ruined the Tenkaichi Budoukai one year. I've never seen him, I always seem to fall asleep when he comes, but my friends don't lie and neither did my Grandfather. He's the one who told me that if you look at the full moon, you summon the monster!"

Hermione opened her mouth to dismiss his story again, then stopped and looked at Harry and Ron. Harry could tell what she was thinking, because his thoughts were similar and he knew Ron's were as well. _If there was a werecreature around that they hadn't heard of, for them to look at the full moon wouldn't be bad, only if the actual werecreature looked at the_ –

"Uh oh," Hermione mumbled softly. "We'd better get going." She looked over at Goku. "You're right, we should hurry then."

"It's probably too late," Goku said, shaking his head. "I saw all of you looking at the moon."

"No we weren't," Ron said hastily.

"Yes you were!" Goku said. "Hermione mentioned how full it was and both you and Harry looked up—" He paused and looked up at the sky.

"Goku, don't!" Harry shouted.

It was as if Goku didn't hear him. He was staring at the full moon, looking totally transfixed to the spot. His tail was barely moving and his eyes looked glazed over. He said nothing, just stared.

"Well, that's creepy, but at least he's not transforming," Ron said, with a sigh of relief. He reached out and tapped Goku on the shoulder. "That's enough, Goku. It's very pretty and all such, but we have to get back."

Still staring at the moon, Goku's arm shot out, knocking Ron's arm off his shoulder and knocking Ron to the ground. Harry barely noticed, because he was watching Goku.

For a moment, Goku's skin seemed to ripple. His body began to get bulkier, and his nose began to enlarge and push out from his face. Coarse, brown hair began springing from every part of his body. Then, he started to grow, getting bigger and bigger with every passing second. His cloak and uniform ripped away from him as if it were tissue paper and fell to the ground in scraps. Without even thinking about it, Harry grabbed Ron and yanked him into a standing position and ran back, to avoid being in the same space as Goku transformed.

In less than a minute, Goku was gone and in his place was the biggest monkey any of them had ever seen. He stood over a hundred feet high.

"Holy _shit_," Ron cursed, unable to stop himself. While Harry didn't say it out loud, his thoughts were exactly the same.

"Goku!" Hermione shouted at the top of her lungs, "Goku, it's us!"

The creature that once was Goku turned in the direction of her voice. For a moment, hope rose in the three of them. Even though he had changed his appearance, maybe Goku still knew who they were. Maybe they could reason with him while one of them ran to get help.

Suddenly, "WereGoku" opened his mouth. A brilliant yellow energy beam shot from his mouth, right at them. They barely had time to leap out of the way. If WereGoku knew who they were, it didn't matter. In this state, everything moving was his enemy.

"This is really bad!" Hermione exclaimed. "This is worse than the mountain troll!"

"Yeah," Ron said, staring up at WereGoku. "And I don't think Wingardium Levoisa is gonna be of much help this time."

_End of Chapter Eleven._


End file.
